Something remarkable happened in Nigeria this weekend, and I think it deserves more attention. Nigeria has just recorded its first tele-robotic surgery and according to the participating institutions, the first of its kind in West Africa. A patient at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja underwent surgery to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour, while the surgeon, Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, controlled the robotic system remotely from Redeemer’s Health Village in Ogun State. Think about that for a moment: the patient was in Abuja, the surgeon was in Ogun, and the operation was happening in real time. The surgery lasted about three hours and was carried out using the Toumai robotic system, with brief pauses to confirm that the equipment and communication systems were functioning properly. The patient was reportedly doing well and expected to be discharged within 24 hours. What excites me most isn’t just the technology. It is what this could mean for access to specialist healthcare. Imagine a situation where a patient in another part of Nigeria no longer has to travel hundreds of kilometres or even leave the country, simply because the specialist they need is somewhere else. RHV and RoboMed are also working towards training at least 150 surgeons in robotic surgery over the next two years. Nigeria still has a long way to go in healthcare, but this is one of those moments that shows what is possible when technology, expertise and Nigerian institutions come together. This isn’t science fiction anymore. It happened here in our country.

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Nigeria Records First Tele-Robotic Surgery As Surgeon in Ogun State Remotely Removes Cancerous Kidney Tumor From Patient In Abuja Using Satellite Internet Service Nigeria has recorded its first tele-robotic surgery, marking a major milestone in West Africa’s medical sector. The complex procedure, a robot assisted right radical nephrectomy to remove a cancerous kidney tumour, was performed by Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) in collaboration with RoboMed Global. The surgeon, Professor Ekwenna Davis, 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, about 500 kilometres away. The operation, which lasted about three hours, relied on Starlink connectivity, with MTN providing backup to ensure uninterrupted communication between the surgeon and the robotic system. Davis, Co-founder of RoboMed Global and Professor of Urology and Transplantation, described the procedure as a demonstration of how technology could expand access to specialised medical care in Nigeria. “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 the development could allow Nigerians to access specialised surgical expertise without travelling abroad and enable Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora to contribute remotely. However, Davis noted that connectivity disruptions and weather conditions could pose challenges, stressing the need for reliable infrastructure and adequate safeguards. RHV board chairman, Dr Kunle Onakoya, also clarified that the robot does not operate independently. “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.