Nigeria records first tele-robotic surgery as doctor operates on Abuja patient from Ogun

Nigeria has recorded its first tele-robotic surgery after a surgeon in Ogun State successfully performed a complex kidney operation on a patient located about 500 kilometres away in Abuja.

The procedure, a robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy to remove a cancerous kidney tumour, was carried out by Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) in collaboration with RoboMed Global.

Professor Ekwenna Davis, Co-founder of RoboMed Global and Professor of Urology and Transplantation, operated the robotic system in real time from a Toumai console at RHV in Mowe, Ogun State, while the patient was at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.

The operation lasted about three hours and relied on Starlink connectivity, with MTN providing backup to help maintain uninterrupted communication between the surgeon and the robotic system.

Davis described the procedure as a demonstration of how technology could expand access to specialised medical expertise in Nigeria and reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for complex procedures.

“The procedure we did was a telesurgery procedure where we were able to operate on a patient in Abuja, 500 kilometres away,” he said.

“This is just the beginning. It is a test, a pilot, of how innovation and technology can really help patients,” Davis added.

He said tele-robotic surgery could enable Nigerians to access specialised surgical expertise remotely while also allowing Nigerian medical professionals living abroad to contribute their skills without being physically present in the country.

Davis, however, noted that connectivity disruptions and weather conditions could present challenges to the technology, stressing the importance of reliable infrastructure and adequate safety measures.

RHV board chairman, Dr Kunle Onakoya, clarified that the robotic system does not perform surgeries independently, explaining that it remains under the control of an experienced surgeon.

“The robot is still being controlled by a human being, by a very experienced and senior surgeon. It is just that the skills of that surgeon are now being magnified many times over by the robot,” he said.