"The competition is incredible". Co-founder of an ophthalmology clinic chain on the state of the market

Before the full-scale invasion, the private healthcare market was developing dynamically. From 2019 to 2022, its monetary capacity quadrupled. With the outbreak of the great war, everything changed: the purchasing power of the population decreased, and several million Ukrainians – potential clients of medical institutions – went abroad.

What is the current situation on the market in general and in the private ophthalmology segment? In particular, why has competition increased during the war, and why is it almost impossible for Ukrainian medicine to enter Europe?

About all this and much more LIGA.net CEO and co-founder of the Vision Eye Clinics network Sergey Ponomarev.

How did you recover from the full-scale invasion and what conclusions did you draw for yourself as a leader and business owner?

After the full-scale invasion, we, like many Ukrainian companies, found ourselves in a turbulent situation. We completely lost our clinic in Siverskodonetsk, a large regional center with 2 floors in the city center. At that time, it was probably the largest private ophthalmology clinic in the region.

We also suspended our operations in Kramatorsk and were unable to open a clinic in Bakhmut, which was planned for February 28, 2022. It was a large-scale project of 500 square meters, with an investment of about $220 thousand. Everything was ready – all that was left was to cut the ribbon.