Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, has partnered with RoboMed Global and The Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) to successfully perform what the hospital described as the first tele-robotic surgery in Nigeria and West Africa
The landmark kidney cancer surgery was performed on a patient at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, while the surgeon, Professor Obi Ekwenna-Davis, remotely controlled the robotic surgical platform from Redeemer’s Health Village in Lagos
The procedure, which lasted approximately three hours, was performed to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour
The hospital said the patient had been discharged following the successful procedure, although details about the patient’s identity and condition were withheld for privacy reasons
Speaking during an event to mark the milestone, the Chief Executive Officer of Nisa Premier Hospital, Dr Ibrahim Wada, said the development demonstrated the potential of tele-robotic surgery to connect specialist surgical expertise with patients across Nigeria
Wada said the procedure was carried out using the MicroPort robotic surgical platform installed at Nisa Premier Hospital, with the remote surgeon controlling the system from Lagos
He said the development could reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for specialised medical treatment, thereby reducing expenditure on international travel, accommodation and medical services
According to him, the technology also creates an opportunity for Nigerians to access specialised expertise from doctors located in other parts of the world without requiring the doctors to travel physically to Nigeria
“This exemplifies one of the positive areas of diaspora and home collaboration,” Wada said
He added that the development would allow Nigerian doctors to continue receiving training and build capacity in robotic surgery, while creating opportunities for international experts to collaborate with local medical teams
Explaining the advantages of robotic surgery, Wada said the technology could reduce the size of surgical incisions and shorten patients’ recovery periods compared with conventional open surgery
He said patients undergoing major procedures could potentially be discharged the same day or within 24 hours, depending on the nature of the surgery and the doctor’s assessment, instead of spending several days in hospital
Wada also said robotic systems could provide greater precision during surgery because the instruments are controlled through a robotic platform
He, however, stressed that patient safety remained a major consideration, particularly because telesurgery depends heavily on stable and secure communication networks
“Machinery can go wrong Connections can cease. So we always make sure there is a team on the ground that can do the needful and take over the robot locally, if necessary,” he said.
He compared the arrangement to the aviation industry, where automated systems are used, but pilots remain available to intervene when necessary
Wada said the telesurgery required a dedicated and highly secure internet connection capable of supporting communication between the robotic systems in Abuja and Lagos
He explained that the network requirements were significantly more complex than ordinary internet connections used for phones and computers
He said the first procedure experienced some delay due to connectivity issues, but the technical team eventually established the required connection
According to him, the experience showed the need for further testing, stronger infrastructure and continuous improvement of the technology before it can be widely deployed
A urologist, Dr Navasu, who also spoke on the safety measures, said the remote operation was designed with safeguards to ensure that the patient would not be left without medical support in the event of a technical failure
He explained that when a network glitch occurred during the procedure, the medical team on the ground was able to take over using the robotic system at Nisa and complete the surgery
Navasu said robotic surgery had been used in Europe and the United States for more than two decades, while telesurgery allows surgeons to remotely control robotic systems from another location
He described the development as an important step for Nigeria and West Africa, saying the experience would help improve the technology and strengthen local capacity
The collaboration involved Robomed providing the remote surgical expertise and safety support, while Nisa Premier Hospital provided the robotic platform, patient and medical team on the ground
Redeemer’s Health Village in Lagos served as the location from which the surgeon remotely controlled the robotic system
Wada said the development could eventually allow Nigerian patients to access specialists in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and India without travelling abroad, provided the necessary robotic and communication infrastructure was available
He said the technology could also create a two-way system in which Nigerian specialists could remotely operate on patients in other countries
“The world is coming towards a shared expertise You don’t have to have every expert in your country to be able to access them. Technology will bridge that gap,” he said.