Eureka! Institutional Repository

Due to its complexity, the health sector requires leadership that respects the rights of patients, as well as the rights and needs of employees. The point is to have an effective leadership model in place, which will introduce specific ethical values and function in accordance with the principles of equality and justice in order to achieve its goals and provide quality health services. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the practices followed by leaders of health institutions as regards issues related to justice and ethics in the health sector. The research conducted was based on three research questions: 1) How do managers/leaders perceive the concepts of justice and ethics in the health sector? 2) Which ethical issues are contemporary managers/leaders called on to deal with in healthcare and how do they deal with these issues? 3) Which leadership model is most effective when it comes to matters of ethics and justice in the health sector? In order to have these questions answered, qualitative research was conducted with semi-structured interviews on a sample of 15 managers who carry out their duties at private health institutions in the region of Thessaloniki. As regards the findings of the research, it is necessary to note the lack of evaluation of the health institutions by the users of the health services, as a practice for improving the quality of the services provided, as well as the need to integrate this evaluation into the framework of total quality management. Also, in order to deal with the various ethical dilemmas arising in the health sector, it is of utmost importance to ensure cooperation and mutual communication between managers and their subordinates.