Why foreigners come for treatment in Ukraine

The world market for medical tourism reached in 2015, $511,7 billion, and its annual growth was 10%. Analysts predict the growth of the market in 2016-2017 and at the end of 2017, its volume will reach $678,5 billion About it writes “Top-100. The largest medical companies of Ukraine”.

Foreigners come to Ukraine to receive medical treatment, for many will be a revelation. According to the assessment of Club tourism“, Yukreyn”, the number of foreign medical tourists goes to our country in the current year will reach 10 thousand people. 

What we can offer

Inbound medical tourism began to emerge in Ukraine in 2012. According to the company Pro-Consulting, over the past three years the number of hospitals accepting foreign patients have doubled. So, if, as of 2012, there were 35-40, last year this figure rose to 70-100 clinics. And the younger market of medical services for foreigners could at the end of 2015 to earn 125 million euros. Them in Ukraine brought patients from the CIS (particularly from Russia, Belarus, Moldova), European Union (France, Germany, Italy), as well as from the United States and Israel. Of these, 75% came to our country directly for medical services, the direction of the spa & wellness occupied by no more than 25% of the total demand.

Very popular among foreigners use the services of Ukrainian ophthalmologists and dentists — these areas account for 18% of all medical tourists.

“Among other popular destinations should allocate reproductive medicine, plastic surgery and cell technologies, as well as cardiac surgery”, — noted in the company Pro-Consulting.

The increased demand to the Ukrainian reproductive medicine is not accidental. This sphere is provided mainly by private clinics that offer a much wider range of services than in other European countries. The fact that Ukrainian legislation allows for many medical procedures that are banned in other countries, for example, genetic diagnosis of the embryo. In addition, prices in the Ukrainian clinics is much lower.

“The cost of Ukrainian medical services for 30-70% less than in other countries, they are not inferior in quality and comfort to many foreign clinics,” — said Violetta Yanyshevskaya, President of the Ukrainian Association of medical tourism (UAMT). For example, infertility treatment (IVF program+ICSI) in Ukrainian specialized centre worth 2.5 thousand euros, while in the UK — 4.8 thousand euros. While the performance is almost the same — the frequency of pregnancy in patients up to 35 years in Ukraine (with IVF) is 50.7% and 50% in the UK.

According to the Director of the Dnipropetrovsk clinic of plastic surgery and cosmetology “Artmedica” Alexander Makarchuk, foreign clients to come for aesthetic surgery in Ukraine. “In terms of rhinoplasty, Ukraine can compete with any country in the world” — confirms the words of colleagues, the founder and chief surgeon of the “center of Dr. Kompaniets Oleg Kompaniets.

With conducting international operations, the Ukrainian private clinics associate great hopes. According to Alexander Makarchuk, at the expense of the patients-foreigners Ukrainian clinics have been partly offset by falling demand from Ukrainian patients. “By providing medical services to foreigners, we managed to reach pre-crisis indicators”, — he said.

If you want growth

Further — more. “Private clinics have a high potential in the field of inbound medical tourism and foreign patients. The level of service in the Ukrainian medical institutions – at the level of European countries, the prices are much lower,” — noted in the clinic “Dobrobut”.

In countries that lead the market in inbound medical tourism, this area receives considerable support from the state. For example, in Turkey foreign patient receives a discount of up to 40% on flights by Turkish Airlines, and attracting medical tourists goes by a special state Agency.

Recognize the need for state support of this direction in the Ukrainian government.

“The growth of inbound medical tourism will contribute to the mechanisms of public-private partnerships, which the Ministry intends to develop,” — said acting first Deputy Minister of health Alexander Pavlenko.

“Ukrainian doctors are capable of much, but in Europe, it simply does not know,” — summarizes the expert clinic “Dobrobut” Ekaterina Gritsenko.