The plastic and reconstructive surgery sector is becoming one of the notable drivers of private medicine and the regional economy in Ukraine, despite the war. This is evidenced by global industry data and infrastructure projects being implemented in the country, according to plastic surgeon and founder of the Lita Plus clinic, Sergey Derbak.
According to the ISAPS Global Survey 2023, more than 33 million aesthetic procedures are performed worldwide each year, and the global market for plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine in 2024 is estimated at approximately $67 billion, with growth rates of 28-30% per year. Turkey’s industry revenue from medical tourism in the plastic surgery segment alone reaches $2-3 billion annually, and the industry as a whole creates more than 1 million jobs in related sectors, from transportation and hotels to pharmaceuticals and logistics.
“Plastic surgery is no longer a narrow medical specialization. It is now a full-fledged industry that creates jobs, generates tax revenues, develops regions, and returns money to the country’s economy,” Derbak noted.
According to him, Ukrainian plastic surgeons maintain a high level of trust among patients and the professional community, speak at international conferences, and work according to international protocols, while the cost of operations in Ukraine is 2–4 times lower than in the Czech Republic, Austria, or Germany. This contributes to the gradual return of patients who had surgery abroad in the early years of the war.
The expert also pointed out the potential of Transcarpathia as a future medical hub. The construction of the high-tech Lita Plus plastic surgery center, designed according to the logic of leading European medical centers, is nearing completion in Uzhhorod.
“Transcarpathia has the potential to become a powerful medical hub thanks to its logistics, proximity to the EU, and environment for recovery. We are building a clinic that will be able to accept patients from all over Ukraine and abroad. This means new jobs, satellite businesses, and a sustainable economic effect for the region,” said Derbak.
According to his estimates, a large specialized plastic surgery clinic can create 80-120 jobs in the first stage — from doctors, anesthesiologists, and medical staff to administrators, logisticians, and service providers — and ensure stable tax revenues by operating in the “white” sector. Additional economic benefits come from patients and their companions spending money on hotels, transportation, restaurants, rehabilitation, beauty services, and pharmaceuticals.
“After moving the clinic to Uzhhorod, we have already created dozens of jobs, including for local residents. Some of the specialists are doctors whom we have trained at our own facility. We are investing not only in buildings and equipment, but also in the development of human resources in the region,” emphasized the founder of Lita Plus.
The expert considers it realistic that Ukraine will be able to occupy the niche of a medical hub in Eastern Europe between Turkey and the EU countries in the medium term, provided that a network of high-tech private clinics is developed, price competitiveness is maintained, investments are made in logistics, and medical tourism is systematically promoted.
According to him, new projects in private medicine are not only the opening of another clinic, but also a signal of the beginning of a new stage in the development of Ukraine’s “medical economy,” where plastic and aesthetic surgery is becoming a separate economic resource—a source of jobs, taxes, investments, and the return of patients and funds that previously went abroad.
