Superhumans Launches a World-Class Medical Center for Ukrainians Wounded by War
Lviv, Ukraine, April 14, 2023 – Superhumans Center, a national world-class medical center that ensures specialized care for all Ukrainians wounded by war, opens its doors today. Superhumans will provide prosthetics, rehabilitation, PTSD treatment and eventually reconstructive surgery free of charge. The Center is located on the campus of the Regional Veterans Hospital, but is independently managed. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Ukraine’s Minister of Health Victor Liashko are Superhumans board members.
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian entrepreneurs Andrey Stavnitser and Philipp Grushko took their logistical know-how and built humanitarian distribution centers in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Several months into the war, Stavnitser and team were appalled as more Ukrainian soldiers returned from the frontlines without limbs. Ukraine’s medical community had little experience with complicated amputations or prosthetics and with the precipitous decline in the economy, the state faces real limits in supporting victims of war.
More than 10,000 Ukrainians need prosthetics, and the WHO estimates that one in four Ukrainians will have mental health problems after the war ends.
Olga Rudnieva, a well-known non-profit leader in Ukraine, serves as CEO of Superhumans. Dr. Andriy Vilenskiy, a pediatrician, former head of private clinics and the National Health Service, is Superhumans’ medical director.
As a non-profit, Superhumans is driven by support from donors and charities. Most significantly, Superhumans received $16.3 million in funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to underwrite all construction and equipment costs for the Superhumans Center. The Buffett Foundation also provided $1 million to cover the cost of prosthetics for the center’s first patients.
Today, Superhumans Center opened the first wing of the medical center which includes the prosthetics lab and rehabilitation center. The second stage, which includes the reconstructive surgery department and sleeping quarters for visiting international doctors, will open by the end of 2023.
Superhumans Center is committed to a comprehensive approach to care and to changing the perception and psychology of Ukrainians with limb loss. Prostheses will be manufactured and assembled in the Center. The laboratory has been built and equipped with support from the leading German company Ottobock. The rehabilitation department has a large swimming pool as well as facilities for physical therapy.
“The bravest soldiers on the planet, Ukrainian defenders, should know that they will be taken care of back at home. This is my personal duty, my way to thank those who will get our victory. Soldiers and civilians, who have given their health for the sake of Ukraine’s freedom, will receive the latest technologies, best global medical expertise, and an individual approach at Superhumans – everything they need to get back to their active lives. We have already traveled around the world to bring all of that into one place, in Ukraine, and we will keep doing that,” said Superhumans co-founder Andrey Stavnitser.
At the opening ceremony, First Lady Olena Zelenska and American philanthropist Howard G. Buffett pointed out the importance of the project.
«Superhumans is not just a name of the project. I think that’s a new social agreement put in one word. A philosophy, worth not only a clinic, but a whole country. Superheroes instead of victims. Superpowers instead of disabilities. We want to build not just a clinic, but a super-country for Ukrainians. Because all of them are superhumans”, – said Olena Zelenska.
“We are honored to be a part of this extraordinary effort to bring world-class care to Ukrainians who have suffered life-altering injuries from this war – they are truly “superhumans,” said Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a war on civilians, and many men, women, and children will lose their lives—or their limbs—even long after the war ends due to the pervasive presence of landmines. This Center is a step towards giving Ukrainians a chance to rebuild their lives and their country. We must also do everything possible to end this war and the daily devastation it creates for all Ukrainians.”
Sir Richard Branson recently visited the center ahead of its opening. He said, “The Superhumans Centre is a truly remarkable place, and it will change the lives of thousands of Ukrainians, restoring quality of life to the injured.
“During my visit to the center, I had the wonderful privilege of meeting two of the people who have been wounded on the frontline. Their courage, positive spirit, and continued commitment to the people of Ukraine is awe-inspiring.
“We are honored to support Superhumans and their mission to give these extraordinary people the help they need to live the life they deserve.”
Even before being fully launched, Superhumans has already started to set prosthetics for military personnel and civilians. Two soldiers received bionic Hero Arms from an exclusive partner of Superhumans, British manufacturer Open Bionics. Six more patients, veterans and civilians, came back from Germany in April, where they received leg prostheses and rehabilitation at Ottobock headquarters.
Superhumans Center plans to expand to five regions of Ukraine to bring care closer to patients. A National Education Center will be launched this fall to address shortages in Ukraine’s healthcare system.
Superhumans Center is supported by global and Ukrainian celebrities and companies. Ambassadors of the project include: Sting, Trudie Styler, Bear Grylls, Natalie Jaresko, Richard Branson’s Foundation CEO Jean Oelwang, Masi Nayem, Andriy Danylko, Yegor Gordeev, and MONATIK.
Companies supporting Superhumans include Mastercard, Freedom Finance, Payoneer, Cargill, Crown Agents, SD Capital, Loro Piana, SoftServe, and PrivatBank.
