The Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) has performed its first robotic-assisted surgery, marking a significant step toward advancing access to modern healthcare services in Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Office Adedamola Dada, who disclosed the development to newsmen on Thursday, said the initiative was driven by the vision of making RHV a premier destination for healthcare delivery.
Dada said the feat was achieved through RHV partnership with RoboMed Global Inc., a registered U.S.-based organisation.
He said the surgery, performed within RHV, was led by Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davies, the Co-Founder of RoboMed., adding that six robot-assisted surgeries would be carried out in the hospital.
Dada said the partnership with the organisation was aimed at bringing useful and important medical skills back to Nigeria, while ensuring that Nigerians could access modern healthcare without travelling abroad.
According to him, the initiative is not primarily about profit, but to demonstrate what appropriate and modern healthcare should look like for Nigerians.
“We are happy about this feat for obvious reasons; the objective is to bring the best possible healthcare services to the country and make them accessible to patients who require advanced procedures.
“Many Nigerians still travel abroad to access specialised medical procedures, incurring additional costs beyond treatment.
“Having this service here will help reduce such difficulties by providing modern healthcare services locally, with patients paying significantly less than they would ordinarily spend abroad,” he said.
The RHV CEO added that another objective of the partnership was aimed at developing manpower, particularly because robotics was a new area of medicine requiring specialised training and certification.
Dada said the partnership with RoboMed would also include the establishment of a robotic surgery training academy to equip Nigerian professionals with the skills to perform and support advanced procedures.
He added that they would also partner with Redeemers University and the National Postgraduate College to develop a robust training programme and curriculum..
“The robotic academy, when launched, will create a pipeline of robotics professionals, forming part of efforts to develop the skills and expertise required to support robotic surgery services.
“This initiative will provide opportunities for training and help build a sustainable pipeline of professionals capable of supporting robotic surgery operations.
“The overall objective is to make robotic services available to Nigerians while building the manpower required to sustain them,” he said.
Also, the Co-founder of RoboMed, Ekwenna-Davis said the partnership was an opportunity to further the interests of Nigerian-American surgeons and other highly skilled professionals involved in developing robotic surgery.
Ekwenna, also a Professor of Urology, said sustainable development of the technology required strong partners, adding that RHV was selected because of its people, institutional capacity and reputation.
He noted that, notwithstanding the introduction of robotic surgery over 20 years ago, the country had its first robotic surgery in 2025, describing the situation as unfortunate.
“To do this kind of job in a sustainable fashion, we need reputable people because this race is long marathon.
“Dr Dada is well known in Nigeria; RHV is a reputable institution capable of supporting the long-term development of robotic surgery and the Redeemer’s institution as a whole is world renowned,” he said .
On the surgery, the surgeon said robotic surgery was used to remove a localised prostate cancer that was within the prostrate.
He explained that robotic surgery was useful for patients with localised prostate cancer, describing it as cancer that had not spread to other parts of the body.
The co-founder said cancer within the prostate could be removed robotically, adding that kidney cancer surgery and others would be among the robotic surgeries to be carried out in the hospital.
The robotic surgeon who highlighted the benefit of robotic surgery, said it involved small incisions, enabling patients to experience less pain and reducing the risk of wound infection.
“Every human surgeon has some degree of hand tremor, which can reduce precision, unlike robotic surgery which gives room for more precise tissue manipulation.
“Patients can go home on time without much pain, return to work and continue to be useful to society and the risk of having wound infection that is common to open surgery is reduced ,” he said.
The Redeemer’s Health Village is a faith-based 300-bed multispecialty hospital established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.(NAN)
