Over 95% of highly functional prosthetics imported, grants for manufacturers of bionic prostheses to be available in 2026 – Muzychenko

Director General of the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities Vitaliy Muzychenko says that over 95% of highly functional prosthetics in Ukraine are imported, and also announced the launch of a grant program for manufacturers of bionic prostheses in 2026.

"From a technical standpoint, a prosthesis is a set of components connected into one product. When it comes to highly functional, high-quality, high-tech units... We have limited production of feet for the lower extremities in our country. There are practically no highly functional bionic knee units with microprocessor control, and 99% of these are imported components," said Muzychenko in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, answering the question of what percentage of prosthetics production is localized in Ukraine today.

Regarding the upper extremities, Muzychenko noted that there are several domestic bionic hand manufacturers, and they are developing quite well. However, there is virtually no supply of elbow units.

"As a result, we can say that over 95% of highly functional prosthetics are manufactured by foreign companies," he stated.

According to him, the situation is a little better for more typical, simpler prostheses that contain hydraulic and pneumatic systems instead of microprocessor control. In fact, there are Ukrainian manufacturers in all positions.

"However, I would say their share of the market is around 10-12%, maybe up to 15%. For the most part, these are small components for prostheses, such as rods, fasteners, and pins. Therefore, there are big challenges today in terms of logistics, working with foreign companies, and dictating prices. Unfortunately, Ukraine is one of the largest prosthetics markets and customers today due to the war," Muzychenko noted.

As for the largest countries that supply prostheses and components, he said that Germany is at the top, followed by Iceland, Great Britain, the USA, New Zealand, Poland, and Türkiye. China's share is at 1%.

When asked about the status of the grant program for bionic prosthesis manufacturers announced by the Prime Minister in July, the Fund's director stated that preparations are underway.

Muzychenko said that the program will include several aspects: the first is support for certain design solutions; the second is the development of viable prototypes; the third is the issue of scaling those products that already have some prototypes that can be further improved.

When asked for clarification, he predicted that such a grant program would be launched in 2026.