Redeemer’s Health Village has achieved a major medical milestone by performing West Africa’s first telerobotic surgery during the weekend at its facility in Mowe, Ogun State.
The pioneer procedure, a right radical nephrectomy on a patient with a kidney tumour, was carried out by surgeons stationed at the Ogun facility operating remotely on a patient located 500 kilometres away at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja. Tele-robotic surgery allows medical specialists to perform surgical procedures on a patient from a different physical location, in this instance linking the robotic control system in Ogun State to the surgical robot in Abuja via an internet connection.
Lead surgeon Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna highlighted the transformative impact of the achievement. He said, “We were able to operate on a patient in Abuja, 500 kilometres away. We were able to operate on a patient with a kidney tumour, a cancer tumour. And so that was successful.” He noted that the technology effectively bridges geographical barriers, granting patients precision healthcare and seamless access to experts both locally and internationally.
Prior to the remote operation, the team performed a robot-assisted pyeloplasty on the same day for a 28-year-old patient to clear a blocked kidney pelvis. Chief Executive Officer of the healthcare facility, Dr Adedamola Dada, remarked that the immediate restoration of urine flow during the procedure demonstrated a significant advancement for Nigerian healthcare.
Dada observed that the successful operations signal a new era for the nation. “It’s a huge breakthrough, and then of course, it is the first time telesurgery is done in West Africa,” he said, adding, “What this simply means is that for very complicated cases where we don’t even have the manpower in the country, surgeons can stay in the United States and operate on that patient here.”
Board Chairman of the institution, Dr Kunle Onokoya, pointed out that robot-assisted techniques are enabling doctors to undertake high-risk procedures that were previously deemed inoperable.
Dada urged the Federal Government to back the training of local healthcare personnel. He explained that while private investors can assist in procuring the necessary equipment, building human capital remains the critical hurdle. He called for government scholarships and funding for surgeons, nurses, biomedical engineers, and support staff to build a strong cadre of local experts capable of sustaining robotic surgery across Nigeria within the next few years.