Specialized orthopedic clinic for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, Superhumans, has announced the opening of a new center in Odessa based at the Odesa Medical University.
According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, tens of thousands of Ukrainians currently need prosthetics and rehabilitation. During full-scale invasion, this number continues to increase, as stated in the center's press release.
"Together with the Superhumans Center, we managed to implement a comprehensive, state-of-the-art service for patients who have lost limbs and began implementing a joint initiative with reconstructive surgery within the framework of intergovernmental cooperation between the Ministry of Health of France and Ukraine at the surgical department of the center. Scaling successful experiences and opening new centers is next on the agenda," details Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko about the collaboration.
The Superhumans Odesa project will be based at the Odesa Medical University, financially supported by the government of France in cooperation with Expertise France. The facility spans 4,000 square meters and includes a prosthetics laboratory, physical rehabilitation department, psychological support center, and veterans' reintegration center.
Superhumans Odessa will feature:
- Prosthetics laboratory
- Physical rehabilitation department
- Psychological support and veterans' reintegration center
"Thanks to funding provided by the Crisis Center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Expertise France proudly supports the creation of the Superhumans Center in Odesa, replicating the highly successful model of the Lviv Center. In addition to supporting Ukraine in managing the treatment process for war victims, our collaboration encompasses education and training for medical personnel in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, multiplying effective approaches to aid war victims," says CEO of Expertise France Jeremy Pele.
The total funding amount is 4 million euros. The respective agreement was signed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
In addition to bringing services closer to more Ukrainians, this project will address another critical issue — increasing the number of specialists working with mine-explosive traumas. Cooperation with the medical university will allow the creation of another university hospital and combine theoretical education with practical experience. This will streamline the training of young specialists who will work in multidisciplinary teams at rehabilitation centers.
The rehabilitation department and prosthetics laboratory in Odesa will start operating in early 2025, with training and workshops for multidisciplinary teams commencing in September.
"Established in Lviv, the Superhumans Center has become a leader in dealing with complex cases within just one year of existence. In collaboration with French surgeons, over 100 unique facial reconstructions have been performed here, and more than 600 prosthetics have been installed. Each operation improves someone's life," says Olena Zelenska.
The first Superhumans Center was opened in April 2023 at the State Hospital in Vynnyky near Lviv. It operates without state funding, with over $50 million raised for construction and operations primarily from foreign investments. The largest donor is American philanthropist Howard Buffett.
"Today, over a thousand patients who suffered injuries due to war are in line at the Superhumans Center alone. This means we need to expand our capabilities and train as many specialists as possible to work in multidisciplinary teams and provide quality prosthetic and rehabilitation services. That's why the partnership with the educational base of Odesa Medical University will enable us to train teams and specialists for the southern region and improve the level of services in medical institutions throughout Ukraine," says CEO of Superhumans Center Olga Rudneva.
