Analysis of accessibility of medical care at a specialized center in the capital for people with thyroid diseases.

Abstract

Objective: Aim: To analyze the availability of medical care at a capital`s specialized center for patients with thyroid diseases according to their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Patients and methods: Materials and Methods: There was conducted a survey of a representative sample of 600 people with thyroid diseases - patients of the capital's specialized endocrinology center.

Results: Results: The most accessible services of the capital's specialized endocrinology center were for urban residents (76.0%), including the capital's ones (46.3%), of working age (84.8%) with university education (64.8%), and, accordingly, less accessible - for rural residents (24.0%). Up to 40% of the patients of the capital's specialized endocrinology center were representatives of vulnerable groups: retirees (16.6%), unemployed (12.5%) and people with disabilities (12.2%), more so among women and rural residents. This emphasizes the importance of any form of universal coverage and the prospect of further access to health care improvement with the inclusion of such specialized centers in the State Medical Guarantee Program 2025. The use of specialized care could be influenced by wartime and the need to confirm readiness for military service, as indicated by the higher proportion of young people among male patients (26.7% aged 30-39 years vs. 19.8% among women) and their lower level of education (59.3% with university education vs. 66.5%, respectively).

Conclusion: Conclusions: The obtained data should be taken into account in developing organizational measures to improve access to specialized care for people with thyroid diseases at the state, regional and community levels.