How to open a rehabilitation and prosthetic institution in Ukraine: legal advice

Ukrainian military personnel engage in daily battles to defend the integrity of Ukraine, preventing occupiers from ruthlessly destroying our state at the cost of their health and sometimes their own lives. Unfortunately, many of them suffer severe combat injuries, lose limbs, and as a result, require high-quality prosthetics and rehabilitation.

Undoubtedly, our defenders deserve this support more than anyone else. Therefore, our team understands that medical facilities capable of producing prosthetics and offering various rehabilitation methods will face significant demand.

By establishing such a medical institution, you will not only help someone stand on their feet or experience that wonderful feeling when you hold the hand of your loved one and confess your love but also make a substantial contribution to the victory of Ukraine.

In addition, if you're considering developing your own business in this field and continuing with rehabilitation activities in the future, you'll have a wonderful opportunity to comprehensively expand it. By aiding individuals, you can take your enterprise to a new level of prosperity. Later, we'll delve into whether participation in government funding programs is feasible and identify those who qualify for such financial support.

We are all aware that prosthetics come with a hefty price tag, so government assistance can represent a new opportunity for someone to lead a fulfilling and worry-free life.

Can the production of prosthetics and their components be combined with rehabilitation in a single facility?

Combining the individualization and production of necessary prosthetic components for each patient with simultaneous assistance in their rehabilitation is not just possible but also highly promising. Such a practice shows that rehabilitation facilities offering these comprehensive services are in high demand. After all, it's more comfortable for us, even when visiting a regular family doctor for sick leave, to have tests done and necessary procedures performed on-site rather than, as was often the case before, navigating several clinics to obtain a single diagnosis.

The practice of prosthetics manufacturing is not a widely established field in Ukraine. Typically, prosthetics are imported into our clinics and then individually adapted for each patient. In other words, as mentioned earlier, they are personalized.

Why is this the case?

In reality, very few countries worldwide engage in the production of prosthetics because it requires having manufacturing facilities or a consistent supply of high-quality components. It is indeed a complex process.

However, in Ukraine, it is possible to manufacture equally crucial components for such products. For instance, the socket, which, after appropriate preparation by surgeons, needs to be individually produced for each patient.

The socket is a kind of "cap" that ensures a snug fit of the prosthesis to the individual's limb. Interestingly, the manufacturing of the socket receiver can take significantly more time than the preparation of the patient by surgeons for prosthetics. This is because there are situations where a patient may need the socket to be reworked five or more times.

Planning to engage in the production of individual components for prosthetics in your facility while simultaneously offering rehabilitation assistance to patients is, in our opinion, an excellent idea with no apparent drawbacks. However, it's crucial to understand the full responsibility associated with such an endeavor and approach it with utmost seriousness.

You need to find suitable premises, establishing a reliable supplier network for prosthetics and manufacturing components, hiring qualified personnel, and, most importantly, obtaining a Medical License to provide rehabilitation services.

We willl elaborate on the precise requirements for obtaining such a license below.

How to Obtain a Madical License for a Rehabilitation Center?

Embarking on your journey as an independent medical institution involves a crucial step – acquiring a license for medical practice. We strongly recommend initiating this process as early as possible, as securing this particular license typically requires a significant amount of time. 

Collaborating with us ensures that each step we take together is thoroughly discussed, and our experienced specialists, with over 17 years in obtaining medical licenses, address all details meticulously.

Here is a list of the necessary documents to commence the process of obtaining the license:

• Sanitary and Epidemiological Conclusion (a document confirming compliance of the premises with all sanitary norms and regulations).
• Extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities or an identification code (depending on your enterprise).
• Provision on the healthcare institution (if applicable).
• Lease agreement for the premises or a certificate of property rights.
• Floor plan of the premises.
• Schedule of doctors' work.
• List of medical equipment.
• Documents confirming the metrological verification of measuring instruments.
• Diplomas of doctors and junior specialists.
• Certificates of specialized doctors.
• Certificate of assignment of a qualification category (if applicable).
• Certificate of a specialist doctor in the field of "Organization and Management of Healthcare" (for the Chief Medical Officer).
• Certificate of assignment of a qualification category in the field of "Organization and Management of Healthcare" (if applicable).
• Employment record of the Chief Medical Officer.
• Certificate of completing advanced training for junior specialists.
• Information about the founding documents and the structure of the healthcare institution – the charter of the healthcare institution, the separate structural unit (if applicable).

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Which specialties of doctors will be able to work with patients in need of rehabilitation?

The specific services you plan to offer in the rehabilitation center will determine the final list of medical professionals to hire. Typically, the classical list of specialties for a rehabilitation center includes doctors from the following fields:

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
• Therapy.
• Physiotherapy.
• Orthopedics and Traumatology.
• Psychotherapy.
• Functional Diagnostics.
• Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

Determining the specialties required for your institution can indeed be challenging. However, with the guidance of a responsible specialist by your side, the process becomes more manageable. This expert can provide advice on the appropriate choices and offer assistance when needed.

Can one secure funding from the government when establishing a medical institution of this kind?

As mentioned earlier, let's revisit the topic of financing for rehabilitation facilities.

It should be noted that obtaining funding for institutions of this type is generally not a challenge; in fact, they are highly sought after by investors. In such scenarios, investors may include the government, local authorities, grant projects, or even foreign corporations.

Notably, the well-known medical network "Dobrobut" recently became the first to receive funding for the construction of a rehabilitation center from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

Now, support from foreign partners is becoming more crucial, and these partners are acutely aware of this reality. The ongoing war in our country spares no one. To actively contribute and avoid staying on the sidelines, foreign partners continue to provide funding across various sectors in our nation, with the healthcare sector undoubtedly taking a leading role.

However, when considering government investment in such medical institutions, the situation becomes somewhat more intricate.

Why?

Rehabilitation services are currently tightly regulated. There is a specific set of resolutions, protocols, and orders from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine that clearly outline the services to be provided to patients, the list of physicians, and the required equipment for a medical institution. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in a lack of funding. These rules and services undergo strict monitoring, and there is no way to bypass them.

The well-defined standard for providing rehabilitation assistance is continually reviewed and monitored to ensure adherence to all standards. Interestingly, even if you are in the planning stages of acquiring necessary equipment, you won't be able to establish a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU). Funding is only granted when you have everything essential for the full operation of a medical institution.

Certainly, as a rule, the government typically prefers to enter into contracts with state hospitals. However, it is not as critical if your clinic is private. The most crucial condition for the NHSU is to have everything necessary to provide qualified assistance to those in need.

Our team is actively expanding its collaboration with rehabilitation centers, thoroughly studying all the intricacies of their operations. Therefore, if you need our assistance, we are ready to provide it, guiding you through the entire process of opening and operating your medical institution from A to Z.

Check out the cost and stages of obtaining a Medical License here. 

The cost of legal services for medical institutions can be found here.