Mykolaiv decided to open a prosthetics center: equipment provided by Germany

Mykolaiv plans to open a prosthetic and orthotic workshop at the 4th City Hospital. The city has already received the necessary equipment from its partners and plans to purchase a suitable room for its arrangement.

This was announced by First Deputy Mayor Vitaliy Lukov.

In August, Horus Prosthetics, a German company, came to Mykolaiv to provide free prosthetics to nine soldiers using unique equipment that ensures high quality and speed. With the help of artificial intelligence, specialists make a prosthesis that perfectly matches the patient's anatomical parameters. The entire process takes 90 to 120 minutes.

According to Vitaliy Lukov, negotiations with the company resulted in an agreement and they donated expensive certified equipment to the city.

However, due to the noise from the production of prostheses, the workshop cannot be located inside the hospital. Therefore, the Health Department asked the city council to purchase a building nearby that met all the requirements and did not require major repairs.

The creation of a prosthetic center in Mykolaiv will allow residents to receive care locally, without having to travel to other regions. This will make the process of prosthesis maintenance much more convenient and efficient," Lukov emphasized.

Mykola Berezhnyk, Deputy Head of the Health Department, added that the new workshop will become part of the 4th City Hospital, which already has a rehabilitation center with trained specialists.

In addition, the German partners not only donated equipment but also agreed to train Ukrainian specialists. Four candidates are already preparing for the training, including two military men who received prostheses in the summer. Negotiations are also underway to train specialists in Germany.

The prosthetics will be free of charge for patients, as the Ministry of Social Policy reimburses the cost of the prostheses.

The waiting list for prosthetics in Mykolaiv already includes hundreds of people, and the need for such a center is very high. Today, there is only one private company in the city that produces up to 10 prostheses a year, while the new center will be able to produce up to 30-40 prostheses per month.

After fulfilling all the requirements, such as the availability of certified specialists and equipment, the city council hopes that the center will be able to start operating at the beginning of next year.

Such an initiative is relevant for the city. Because of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, about 15,000 military and 1,000 civilians were treated in Mykolaiv but were rehabilitated in other regions of the country. Over time, with changes in the human body, the prosthesis itself also needs to be changed and adjusted. The city has not had such an opportunity until now.

Odesa will also soon have a Superhumans Center, which will provide free prosthetics, rehabilitation and psychological assistance to veterans and civilians in southern Ukraine. The center is scheduled to open in early 2025.

A similar program will be introduced in Kherson region. Residents of the region who lost their limbs as a result of Russian aggression will be able to receive free prosthetics. The Kherson Regional Military District Administration and representatives of the Ukrainian Scientific and Clinical Center for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation have signed a memorandum of cooperation.

Анна Бальчінос