Nigeria Records First Tele-Robotic Surgery in West Africa

Nigeria has taken a significant  step into remote healthcare delivery after Redeemer's Health Village (RHV), RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital completed West Africa's first tele-robotic surgery.

The procedure involved using a robotic system to help surgeons remove a cancerous tumour and the affected kidney from a patient in Abuja.

The operation was performed remotely, with the surgeon controlling the robot from RHV in Lagos, about 500 kilometres away, while the patient remained at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.

A member of the surgical team said the successful procedures demonstrated that advanced robotic surgical technology was now available in Nigeria.

"This is what becomes possible when Nigerian institutions decide to build together," said Ibrahim Wada, chief executive officer and founder of Nisa Premier Hospital, describing the operation as a demonstration of cross-institutional collaboration.

The procedure lasted about three hours, with brief pauses to verify equipment and communications systems.

Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, professor of urology and transplantation and co-founder of RoboMed Global, a US-based robotic surgery company, said the operation showed that telesurgery could be performed safely across locations.

"Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery," Ekwenna-Davis said.

The development comes as African health systems explore digital technologies to address shortages of specialist medical expertise and reduce the need for patients to travel abroad. 

Source:ITWeb Africa and other Nigerian online news agencies