Changes in the health care system compel us to view a patient as a purchaser of medical services. In the expanding healthcare system, the patient can choose freely among not only general practitioners but also medical specialists and the hospitals in which he wants to be treated. Competition is growing among medical centers, which creates the possibility and the need to apply marketing principles in medical services.

The aim of this study is to identify the influence of the promotion on the choice of hospital as a place for treatment by patients of gynaecological and obstetric outpatient clinics.

In the group of 635 patients of outpatient clinics, 164 were hospitalised in gynaecological and obstetric wards; 116 filled in the questionnaire concerning hospital services.

Patients under research expressed their opinions about marketing activities of the hospital and competition between health care institutions.

The research was conducted by means of a questionnaire developed by the authors. The collected data were analysed with Statistica 6.0 computer programme.

Chi2 test with Yates’ correction was used to estimate correlation between the two values.

Competition between healthcare institutions leads to improvement of the quality of medical services according to 68% of patients. 69% of the studied women would be willing to take part in promotional activities organised by outpatient clinics or hospitals. 53% of the studied patients have nothing against advertising medical services.