The role of health regulatory policies in achieving sustainable development goals: scoping review

Abstract

Introduction. Regulation of health markets represents a fundamental prerequisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Through the correction of market failures, redistribution of financial risks, and promotion of equitable access to essential healthcare services, health regulatory policy provides the institutional basis for achieving Universal Health Coverage. Effective regulation ensures that healthcare functions as a public good, upholding principles of equity and protecting populations from financial vulnerability. The integration of robust regulatory frameworks into broader sustainable development strategies is therefore essential to ensure that progress toward good health and well-being, and the 2030 Agenda as a whole, remains inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the significance of regulatory policy in the field of healthcare for mitigating the negative effects of health market failure on ensuring equitable access to medical care for different segments of the population, as one of the key directions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Materials and methods. The study analized an array of English-language scientific publications from 2020–2024, drawn from journals indexed in the Scopus database and focused on issues of regulatory policy in healthcare. The PRISMA 2020 methodology was applied to systematize and select the final set of articles. An in-depth bibliometric analysis was conducted using Bibliometrix, an open-source R package designed for quantitative analysis of academic literature. The process was implemented through Biblioshiny, a web-based interface integrated with Bibliometrix that enables interactive data processing and visualization. The analysis covered 2 595 articles, which were pre-processed and standardized in BibTeX format. To identify research trends and thematic relationships, visualization tools such as word clouds and cluster analysis were employed. Results. The study demonstrates the key role of regulatory policy in the healthcare sector in overcoming the negative effects of market imperfections and ensuring fair and equitable access to medical services for all segments of the population, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The main motives and prerequisites for government intervention in the regulation of the healthcare market have been identified. The leading directions of scientific research in the field of healthcare regulatory policy have been analyzed. An approach to the classification of regulatory measures aimed at eliminating or mitigating the negative effects of market failures has been proposed to promote greater equity in access to healthcare services. Further research in the area. A promising direction for further research in this field is the comparative analysis and scientific justification of the most effective regulatory mechanisms in health care across different countries and regions, considering the existing models of health systems.