Earlier this year, the Ukrainian government made a landmark decision to move osseointegration into its public healthcare system. In a new draft decision by the government, published on May 26th, the next intermediary step between its political intent and a binding reimbursement decision was revealed.
Victoria Boiko, Business Development Lead at Integrum, follows the development closely.
Ukraine's Ministry of Health recently convened high-level meetings on osseointegration. Why is that?
Osseointegration is gradually moving into a phase of systematic consideration at the state level. Soon, coordinated work between the government, clinical centers and the medical community will be necessary, and an important next step will be to formalize funding that ensures broad access to Integrum’s technology. In April, they decided to prepare a national pilot project to integrate osseointegration into the public healthcare system. The draft decision published on May 26th shows they are quickly pushing this forward.
The draft decision, what does it say?
The draft sets out a two-year pilot covering the full clinical pathway to integrate osseointegration: reimbursement for surgery, rehabilitation, financing of the implant system, and long-term follow-up. Tellingly, it already references muscle- and nerve-interface technologies, underscoring that the infrastructure is being designed with next-generation osseointegration in mind.
What will happen now?
As a draft decision, it will move through public consultation, cross-agency approval and implementation. Before the proposal can be executed, patient volumes, participating institutions and the final budget need to be finalized, and the framework will evolve before taking legal precedence. However, the draft already confirms steady institutional momentum toward a governed, reimbursed standard of care, in a country where roughly 100,000 people require treatment for limb loss. On the agencies’ current timelines, the first reimbursed patients are expected in late 2026.
What does it mean for Integrum?
It is still too early to project the specific implementations for Integrum. But it is, of course, very promising that the government has a clear focus on osseointegration. We have been present in Ukraine for several years, establishing Centers of Excellence, and I follow the development closely to ensure we seize every opportunity to reach all amputees in Ukraine who could only be helped by osseointegrated implants.
Where does Ukrainian healthcare diverge most sharply from the Swedish and other European healthcare models?
In my view, Ukraine’s healthcare system is more pragmatic in practical implementations, while administrative processes remain formalized and require careful navigation. In Sweden and across other European countries, processes are scrutinized from the ground up, creating, on the one hand, inertia, but, on the other hand, stability and long-term sustainability in decision-making.
You joined Integrum in April. Beyond Integrum’s ambition to facilitate osseointegration in Ukrainian healthcare, what makes this work matter to you?
For me, this work has a very personal meaning. I understand that the way osseointegration is implemented will directly affect how quickly it will reach patients in urgent need. During this difficult time in Ukraine, my key goal is to apply my professional experience to support and strengthen the development of this area, so that people with complex amputations can be treated with Integrum’s technology and regain freedom of movement and quality of life.
