If you ask people on the streets of Chernihiv what “Tesla” means, they won’t mention electric cars. For locals, Tesla is a trusted medical clinic known for high-quality diagnostics and compassionate care. Behind it stands Serhiy But, a former geophysicist whose journey from academic uncertainty to healthcare pioneer is as bold as it is inspiring.
“I graduated with a degree in geophysics and didn’t know what to do next,” Serhiy recalls. “I registered a company – Tesla. I was doing my thesis on magnetic field exploration, and they are measured in teslas. That’s where the name came from. At the time, I didn’t even know what the business would be.”
Everything changed after a sports injury in 2007, when Serhiy struggled to find a quick, high-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in Kyiv.
“There was clearly a need in Ukraine for better diagnostic services,” he says.
A friend in the United States helped locate second-hand MRI and CT equipment from a hospital affected by the 2007 financial crisis. Despite having no experience in healthcare, Serhiy took a leap of faith.
“I said, let’s buy it. We’ll figure it out.”
In 2008, the Tesla clinic installed its first machines in a municipal clinic in Chernihiv and began operating as a diagnostic room. The real transformation came in 2011, when Serhiy opened a standalone clinic under the Tesla name.
“At the beginning, there were just two people – one doctor and one MRI operator,” Serhiy remembers. “Today, we’re a team of more than 200.”
Building a modern healthcare service
Another turning point came in 2018, when the clinic’s rapid growth required more structure and modern management systems.
“We didn’t even have a customer relationship management (CRM) system or contact centre,” Serhiy explains.
Through a programme supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union through its EU4Business Initiative, Tesla received advisory support to introduce a CRM system. The programme helped the clinic identify the right consultant and covered 50 per cent of the project cost.
“That changed a lot for the business,” Serhiy says.
The new systems enabled Tesla to improve communication with patients, optimise costs, analyse sales data and make more strategic decisions.
But nothing could have prepared the team for what came next.
A clinic under siege
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Chernihiv quickly found itself nearly surrounded.
Serhiy had been abroad on holiday with his family when the war began. After relocating his wife and children to a safer place, he returned to Ukraine.
His team in Chernihiv acted immediately.
“The entire management team stayed in the city,” Serhiy says. “They organised shelters in the basement of the clinic, provided free medical consultations online and offline for citizens, and supported hospitals with supplies.”
Even during the worst blackouts, the clinic’s call centre continued operating.
The clinic’s ageing MRI machine – nearly 20 years old – struggled to survive the unstable electricity supply.
“We were lucky,” Serhiy says. “If the machine had lost cooling, that would have been the end of it.”
When Tesla reopened its services in April 2022, it was the only working MRI scanner in Chernihiv.
Investing in resilience with EU support
The war only strengthened Serhiy’s determination to modernise the clinic.
While visiting his family in Finland, he was inspired by a Scandinavian medical centre and began imagining a flagship clinic in Chernihiv – modern, welcoming and energy-efficient.
To achieve this vision, Tesla needed a new MRI machine. The old one had become unreliable and consumed enormous amounts of energy.
“We found a brand-new Siemens model in Germany,” Serhiy says. “But it cost around €700,000.”
Tesla secured financing from Ukrgasbank, and through the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line – a joint initiative of the European Union and the EBRD – the clinic received a 15 per cent investment incentive grant.
The new equipment transformed operations.
“It doubled our capacity,” Serhiy explains. “The old machine was slow and broke often. This one is fast, reliable and uses only a third of the energy.”
The difference in energy consumption is striking: the old MRI used about 80 kWh, while the new one requires only 15-25 kWh.
Even helium consumption dropped dramatically. Previously the clinic needed refills twice a year, each costing around $50,000. Now a refill is required only once every five years.
The EU-EBRD support also helped the clinic achieve something critical during wartime – energy independence.
“We were experiencing blackouts three times a day while installing our most expensive equipment,” Serhiy says. “Without the grant support, we wouldn’t have been able to install generators and other systems to keep the clinic operating.”
A new chapter for healthcare in Chernihiv
In 2024, Tesla opened its fourth and largest clinic in Chernihiv – a 1,000-square-metre medical centre inspired by Scandinavian design principles.
“Medical spaces are often cold or intimidating,” Serhiy says. “We wanted to create something different – modern, human and welcoming.”
The clinic continues to expand its services while maintaining a strong focus on patient experience.
“We do things that didn’t exist here before,” Serhiy explains. “What gives me energy is reading positive reviews from patients – when people say, ‘yes, this is truly good service’.”
He is especially proud of the team built over the past 15 years.
“We have created a professional, client-oriented, European-level team here in northern Ukraine.”
Turning challenges into opportunity
Serhiy ends his story with a quote from Winston Churchill: “An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“War is terrible,” he says quietly. “But together with our team and partners like the EBRD and the European Union, we have managed to turn some of these challenges into opportunities.”
