Nigeria’s First Tele-Robotic Surgery Successfully Performed at Redeemer’s Health Village

Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna speaking at the Redeemer’s Health Village Launch Dinner celebrating Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery.

In a historic milestone for healthcare in Nigeria, and across West Africa, Nigeria has officially recorded its first tele-robotic surgery. The groundbreaking procedure, a robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy to remove a cancerous kidney tumour, was performed by Professor Obi Davies–Ekwenna, a board-certified transplant and urologic surgeon and Tenured Professor of Urology and Renal Transplantation at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

In a historic milestone for healthcare in Nigeria, and across West Africa, Nigeria has officially recorded its first tele-robotic surgery. The groundbreaking procedure, a robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy to remove a cancerous kidney tumour, was performed by Professor Davies-Ekwenna, a board-certified transplant and urologic surgeon and Tenured Professor of Urology and Renal Transplantation at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

Operating in real time from a Toumai robotic surgical console at Redeemer’s Health Village in Mowe, Ogun State, Professor Davies-Ekwenna operated on a patient physically located over 500 kilometres away at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja. According to the medical team, the landmark procedure was made possible through a collaboration between Redeemer’s Health Village, Nisa Premier Hospital, and RoboMed Global.

Established by The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as a state-of-the-art multi-specialist medical facility in Redemption City, Ogun State, Redeemer’s Health Village was built to deliver world-class tertiary healthcare equipped with advanced diagnostic and surgical technologies.

Expressing profound gratitude for the breakthrough, the hospital shared: “We give all glory to God for this remarkable milestone. We also extend our profound gratitude to our beloved Principals, Pastor E.A. Adeboye and Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, for their vision, support, prayers and commitment to the advancement of healthcare.”

Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna operating the robotic surgical console during a procedure at Redeemer’s Health Village.

According to the centre, this victory follows another major achievement earlier in their robotic surgery journey. Prior to this tele-robotic procedure, Professor Davies-Ekwenna also led the medical team at Redeemer’s Health Village to complete their very first robotic-assisted surgery—a successful radical prostatectomy to treat prostate cancer. Celebrating both milestones, the hospital shared: “We are delighted to announce a major milestone at Redeemer’s Health Village; We have successfully completed our first robotic surgery, a robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy.”

Photo Credit: Redeemer’s Health Village/Instagram (Image 1 and Image 2)