Nigerian surgeons have recorded a major milestone in medical innovation with the successful performance of a tele-robotic surgery involving a surgeon in Lagos and a patient located in Abuja.
Gatekeepers News reports that the procedure was carried out as part of a groundbreaking medical session at Redeemer’s Health Village in Ogun State, where the facility also conducted its first robotic-assisted surgery.
Tele-surgery allows surgeons to perform operations remotely, using robotic equipment controlled through a secure communication network. In the procedure, movements made by the surgeon from a remote location are transmitted almost instantly to robotic arms positioned around the patient.
Before the first procedure began, the surgical team prepared the theatre while the surgeon held a brief reassuring session with a 28-year-old woman who had endured a health condition for several years.
The patient, who expressed confidence in the procedure and in God, was subsequently placed under anaesthesia after her vital signs were confirmed to be stable.
The operation involved dissecting the urethra and pelvis to identify and repair a blockage that had prevented normal urine flow. The team said the minimally invasive nature of the procedure meant the patient was expected to return home the same day.
After the successful operation, a member of the surgical team expressed satisfaction with the development, describing the availability of the technology in Nigeria as a significant achievement.
“We are planning that if we finish early enough today, this young lady will go home today. The patients we operated on a couple of days ago went home yesterday. So, for me, it is immensely gratifying that this kind of technology is not only available; it’s available in Nigeria, it’s available at the Redeemers Health Hospital, and that, glory be to God, I’m alive and still practicing to witness that kind of evolution.”
The team subsequently proceeded with the tele-surgery, in which a surgeon in Lagos remotely operated on a patient physically located in Abuja.
According to the surgical team, the robotic equipment positioned around the patient in Abuja was controlled remotely from Lagos, enabling the surgeon to perform the procedure without being physically present in the same theatre.
The operation relied on secure, near-zero-latency broadband technology, allowing movements made by the surgeon’s fingers in Lagos to be replicated by robotic arms in Abuja almost instantaneously.
The successful completion of the procedure was welcomed by the multi-city surgical team, led by Robomed, which described the development as evidence that geographical distance could no longer prevent patients from accessing specialised surgical expertise.
The patient in Abuja was reported to have responded well to the procedure, with minimal blood loss recorded. The patient was expected to be discharged the following day, subject to medical assessment.
Reflecting on the outcome, a member of the surgical team expressed satisfaction with the results, attributing the achievement to hard work and divine support.
The team also disclosed that several patients had been able to return home within 24 hours of their procedures over the preceding three days.
It stressed that the broader objective of the project was not simply to perform surgeries but to establish a sustainable healthcare system capable of delivering advanced medical care within Nigeria.
The initiative, the team said, was also intended to encourage Nigerians living abroad to return home with greater confidence that they could access quality healthcare comparable to what is available internationally.
With the robotic-assisted and remote tele-surgery procedures completed without reported complications, Redeemer’s Health Village has emerged as a major site for the development and application of advanced surgical technology in Nigeria.
