Nigeria has taken a 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.
This development demonstrates that specialist surgical expertise can be delivered across hundreds of kilometres without moving the patient.
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.
This development demonstrates that specialist surgical expertise can be delivered across hundreds of kilometres without moving the patient.
The procedure lasted about three hours, with brief pauses to verify equipment and communications systems.
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.
Speaking after the surgery at RHV, Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, Professor of Urology and Transplantation, who led the surgery explained the medical condition of the patient.
He said the procedure demonstrated that telesurgery could be safely performed on patients in different parts of Nigeria and the world.
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.
Speaking after the surgery at RHV, Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, Professor of Urology and Transplantation, who led the surgery explained the medical condition of the patient.
He said the procedure demonstrated that telesurgery could be safely performed on patients in different parts of Nigeria and the world.
