Considering private surgery abroad? Meliva Kardiolita Hospital Vilnius offers UK patients access to consultant-led treatment at one of Lithuania’s leading multidisciplinary private hospitals. With more than 45 medical specialties, around 500 medical staff, advanced diagnostics, intensive care and rehabilitation, Meliva combines extensive clinical expertise with significantly lower treatment costs. Through My Medical Gateway, patients can access fixed-price Treatment Packages for orthopaedic, spinal, cardiac, gynaecological, urological and general surgery in Lithuania.
For British patients considering private surgery abroad, Meliva Kardiolita Hospital Vilnius makes a compelling case for looking beyond the UK. The attraction is not simply price. What began as a pioneering private cardiac surgery centre in 1998 has developed into one of Lithuania’s major multidisciplinary private hospitals, bringing together around 500 medical staff, 36 inpatient beds and more than 45 medical specialties.
Today, the hospital’s expertise stretches from orthopaedics and spinal surgery to cardiology, gynaecology, urology and general surgery, supported by advanced diagnostics, intensive care and rehabilitation. Around 2,871 treatments are performed annually and more than 1,000 international patients travel to Meliva each year for diagnostics, treatment and surgery.
For this week’s Saturday Spotlight, MMG visits Lithuania’s historic capital to look inside the hospital, meet some of its leading specialists and discover why Vilnius has become an increasingly attractive destination for international patients seeking high-quality private healthcare.
From pioneering heart surgery to multidisciplinary medicine
The Meliva Kardiolita story began with the heart. Its original private Heart Surgery Centre opened in Vilnius in 1998, establishing a specialist surgical institution that subsequently expanded into orthopaedics and a growing range of other medical disciplines. It became Kardiolita Hospital in 2011 and today operates under the Meliva name.
That expansion has created a hospital capable of managing far more of the patient journey under one roof. The main Vilnius centre now provides care across more than 45 medical fields, from specialist consultation and diagnosis through to major surgery, post-operative care and rehabilitation.
MRI, CT, X-ray and laboratory investigations support its surgical services and Meliva states that it is Lithuania’s only private healthcare institution with anaesthesiology and intensive-care specialists on duty around the clock. For patients contemplating major surgery abroad, that depth of clinical support is an important consideration.
Kardiolita was also the first private medical institution in Lithuania to receive Joint Commission International accreditation in 2013, following an external assessment covering clinical practice, surgery, patient rights, management and sterilisation.
International medicine has subsequently become an established part of the hospital’s work. More than 1,000 overseas patients are treated each year.
That experience matters. A patient travelling abroad needs more than an excellent surgeon. Clear English-language communication, medical coordination, predictable treatment arrangements, rehabilitation and carefully managed discharge all become part of the experience.
Outstanding specialists at the heart of Meliva
A hospital ultimately depends on the calibre of the doctors working inside it and this is where Meliva Vilnius becomes particularly impressive.
Dr Giedrius Kvederas, Head of Orthopaedics within MMG’s Meliva Vilnius team, has more than 20 years of clinical experience and performs approximately 300 operations each year. An Associate Professor at Vilnius University and President of the Lithuanian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, he specialises particularly in hip and knee replacement and has undertaken advanced training across Europe and the United States.
Shoulder patients have access to similarly specialised expertise. Associate Professor Dr Sigitas Ryliškis has almost 30 years of clinical experience focused on complex shoulder disorders. His work includes total and reverse shoulder replacement, rotator cuff reconstruction, arthroscopic stabilisation and treatment of traumatic shoulder injuries.
Professor Narūnas Porvaneckas adds decades of experience in complex hip and knee surgery, including both primary and revision joint replacement.
Yet orthopaedics represents only part of Meliva’s clinical strength.
Professor Virgilijus Tarutis is a senior cardiac surgeon who has also headed the Cardiac Surgery Centre at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos. Meliva’s wider Cardiology Centre brings together more than 90 cardiologists, interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons – an impressive concentration of cardiovascular expertise that reflects the hospital’s origins in heart surgery.
In gynaecology, Dr Danguolė Vildaitė brings more than 30 years of experience and specialises in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery, including hysterectomy, myomectomy, ovarian surgery and hysteroscopic procedures.
Surgery is only part of the journey
The strength of Meliva’s proposition becomes even clearer when the focus moves from the operation itself to recovery.
For a total knee replacement, for example, the MMG Treatment Package includes the operation, three nights of inpatient medical care, consultations, required tests, medication and meals, transfers and an inpatient rehabilitation programme at UPA SPA in a private room.
Meliva considers rehabilitation a crucial component of optimal recovery following knee replacement. That illustrates an important point for anyone comparing private surgery prices: the cheapest headline price for an operation does not necessarily represent the best value for the complete treatment journey.
And when the complete package is considered, Meliva’s prices remain highly competitive.
An ACL reconstruction starts from approximately £3,450 compared with a UK private benchmark of £7,842 – a saving of 56%. Total hip replacement starts from around £8,170 compared with £14,217 in the UK, while total knee replacement starts from around £8,170 compared with £14,708.
The savings extend beyond orthopaedics. Laparoscopic hysterectomy starts from approximately £3,650 compared with £8,332 privately in the UK, while gallbladder removal starts from around £2,540 compared with £6,125.
For coronary artery bypass grafting, the difference is even more striking: approximately £10,050 through MMG compared with a UK private benchmark of £24,995 – a difference approaching £15,000.
The complete Meliva proposition
Meliva Kardiolita Vilnius brings together many of the qualities MMG looks for in a European healthcare provider: established clinical infrastructure, highly experienced specialist surgeons, multidisciplinary medicine, advanced diagnostics, international-patient expertise, post-operative rehabilitation and compelling value.
Its journey from specialist heart surgery centre to major multidisciplinary private hospital also tells a wider story about European healthcare. British patients facing a long NHS wait or high UK private hospital costs increasingly have another option – and it may be only a short flight away.
At Meliva Kardiolita Vilnius, lower prices are certainly part of the attraction. The hospital, the specialists and the complete treatment journey are the bigger story.
Don’t wait longer than you need to
If you are facing a long NHS waiting list or considering the high cost of private treatment in the UK, Meliva Kardiolita Hospital Vilnius could offer a faster and significantly more affordable alternative.
Through My Medical Gateway, you can compare treatments, consultants and transparent fixed-price Treatment Packages at Meliva Kardiolita Vilnius, with post-operative care and rehabilitation included where integral to your procedure: https://www.mymedicalgateway.com/hospitals/lithuania/meliva-kardiolita-hospital-vilnius
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