By Kemi Akintokun
The Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV), in collaboration with RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital, has performed Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the surgery was performed in real time on Saturday from a Toumai console at RHV on a patient at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja.
The procedure was a telesurgery-assisted, robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy performed to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.
Tele-robotic surgery, also known as remote surgery, is a technique that enables a surgeon to perform an operation on a patient from a completely different physical location.
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.
Ekwenna-Davis, Co-Founder of RoboMed Global, said the development was a significant achievement for RHV and its partners.
“Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like,” he said.
The U.S.-based surgeon said the patient was in good condition and expected to be discharged within 24 hours.
He said the procedure lasted about three hours, with brief stoppages to ensure that the equipment and systems functioned properly.
Ekwenna-Davis said the collaboration was significant as it marked the first time two hospitals in different parts of Nigeria successfully collaborated to provide surgical care to a patient.
He said the sustainability of the initiative would depend on continuous training, adding that a robotic academy would soon be established to train surgeons and other medical professionals.
According to him, the academy aims to train at least 150 surgeons within the next two years.
Ekwenna-Davis said the programme had the support of the Minister of Health and other government institutions, while calling for additional support from private and non-governmental organisations.
Earlier, Dr Adedamola Dada, Chief Executive Officer, RHV, said the development marked the first telesurgery in West Africa.
Dada said RHV was established to promote innovation and provide world-class healthcare services at affordable costs.
