Precious Nwonu, Enugu
Nigeria has recorded what the institutions involved described as West Africa’s first tele-robotic surgery, after surgeons remotely removed a cancerous kidney tumour from a patient in Abuja.
The procedure was performed on Saturday through a collaboration between Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV), RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital.
The operation involved a telesurgery-assisted robotic right radical nephrectomy, a procedure in which a diseased kidney affected by cancer is surgically removed.
While the patient was at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja, Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, a US-based Professor of Urology and Transplantation and co-founder of RoboMed Global, led the operation remotely from a Toumai robotic surgery console at RHV.
Tele-robotic surgery enables surgeons to perform operations on patients from a different location by combining robotic surgical systems with telecommunications technology.
Speaking after the operation, Ekwenna-Davis said the successful procedure demonstrated that specialised surgical care could be delivered remotely to patients in different parts of Nigeria and potentially beyond the country.
“Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like,” he said.
According to him, the operation lasted about three hours, with short pauses during the procedure to verify that the equipment and communication systems were functioning properly.
He said the patient was in good condition after the surgery and was expected to be discharged within 24 hours.
Ekwenna-Davis described the procedure as the first successful collaboration between two hospitals in different parts of Nigeria to deliver surgical care through telesurgery.
He, however, stressed that sustaining the technology would require continuous training of medical professionals.
He said a robotic academy would be established to train surgeons and other healthcare workers, with a target of training at least 150 surgeons within two years.
According to him, the initiative has received support from the Minister of Health and other government institutions, while additional support from private organisations and non-governmental organisations would be required to expand the programme.
The Chief Executive Officer of RHV, Dr Adedamola Dada, also described the procedure as West Africa’s first telesurgery, saying it demonstrated that Nigerians could gain access to advanced medical treatment without travelling abroad.
“What has happened today is a demonstration that Nigerians can access modern healthcare without travelling abroad,” Dada said.
He explained that RHV was established to promote medical innovation and provide advanced healthcare at affordable costs, adding that the initiative was aimed at demonstrating the possibilities of modern healthcare rather than being driven primarily by profit.
Dada said the adoption of robotic surgery and telesurgery could contribute to reducing medical tourism by allowing complex procedures to be performed locally.
He said RHV had taken steps to minimise the possibility of connectivity failures during remote operations, noting that reliable telecommunications networks, quality equipment and skilled personnel were essential to the success of telesurgery.
The RHV chief executive disclosed that the hospital was working with RoboMed Global to establish a robotic academy that would train doctors, surgeons, nurses, biomedical engineers and product specialists.
He also called on the Federal Government to support the training of Nigerian professionals in robotic surgery through scholarships and other forms of sponsorship.
“My message to government is to support and sponsor Nigerians, the surgeons, the nurses, the biomedical engineers who would want to come and do this training here,” he said.
Dada said such investment could ensure that within two to three years, Nigeria would have a larger pool of professionals capable of performing and supporting robotic surgery.
The Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Nisa Premier Hospital, Dr Ibrahim Wada, said his facility had been involved in robotic surgery in West Africa since November 2025.
Wada said the latest procedure demonstrated how collaboration between Nigerian healthcare institutions could expand access to specialist medical expertise.
“Today, our patient received specialist surgical expertise from across the country without leaving Abuja. This is what becomes possible when Nigerian institutions decide to build together,” he said.
Chairman of the RHV Board, Dr Kunle Onakoya, described the procedure as a historic development and urged those involved to recognise their contribution to advancing surgical care in Nigeria.
RHV is a 300-bed faith-based multispecialty hospital established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Journalists at the RHV facility watched the remote operation live as it was performed on the patient at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.