Portrait of regional health authority manager – 2023.

The heads of regional executive authorities in the sphere of health protection are key figures in the implementation of the health care development strategy of the Russian Federation. The effective management of the healthcare system, as well as the achievement of national goals and target indicators of federal projects, requires highly qualified managerial staff. The annual study of the level of knowledge, skills, work experience and professional skills of regional ministers makes it possible to update information on the human resource potential of the top managers of regional health care systems, assess the changes and timely develop measures aimed at its improvement. The aim of the study was to assess the changes in human resource potential of the heads of regional executive authorities in the sphere of health protection of the Russian Federation in 2021–2023. Materials and methods. A single-stage, continuous sociological study was planned and conducted using a questionnaire developed by the experts of the Institute, which allows to assess changes in such characteristics as: age and gender composition of respondents, the level of higher and additional education, the professional competencies, and length of service in managerial positions. Results. We achieved a response from 86 respondents. It was found that during the last three years, there has been a significant decrease in the rate of rotation of the heads of regional health protection systems with a simultaneous increase in the level of their professional qualifications. The revealed trends are reflected in the growth of the average length of service as a regional minister (2021–2.1+1.9 years, 2022–2.3+2.5 years, 2023–2.9+2.2 years), 3,5 reduction in the number of respondents in the group with a length of service as a regional minister up to one year, an increase in the proportion of managers with professional qualification «Health Care Organization and Public Health». Conclusions. The study allowed to identify the key trends and changes that have occurred over the past three years in terms of the qualitative characteristics of the managerial human resource potential of regional health care systems in the Russian Federation. The heads of regional executive authorities in the sphere of health protection represent the most important resource of the field. Consistent and reliable decrease in the rotation of regional health care system managers is reflected in the growth of their professional skills, knowledge and experience, which allows to achieve the national goals in healthcare set by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation.