No Flights, No Foreign Hospitals? How Remote Surgery Could Change Healthcare For Nigerians

Imagine lying on an operating table in Abuja while the surgeon removing a cancerous kidney is hundreds of kilometres away in Ogun State, controlling robotic instruments through an internet connection.

It may sound like a scene from a science-fiction film, but it has happened in Nigeria.

On September 19, 2026, a team at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja worked with Redeemer’s Health Village in Ogun State to perform a tele-robotic operation in which a surgeon remotely controlled a robot to remove a cancerous kidney.

The procedure has opened a new conversation about how technology could change access to specialist healthcare in Nigeria, where patients sometimes travel abroad in search of advanced medical treatment.

But beyond the excitement surrounding a surgeon operating from another state, difficult questions remain. How safe is it to perform surgery remotely?

What happens if the internet connection fails? And, perhaps most importantly, will ordinary Nigerians be able to afford the technology?

In an interview with Naija News, the Chief Executive Officer of Redeemer’s Health Village, Dr Adedamola Dada, explains how the procedure worked, the safeguards put in place and why he believes tele-robotic surgery could change the future of specialist healthcare in Nigeria.

How Tele-Robotic Surgery Works

Tele-robotic surgery allows a surgeon to operate on a patient from another location using robotic instruments controlled through a high-speed internet connection.

Unlike conventional surgery, where the surgeon works directly beside the patient, the remote surgeon controls the robot from a console.

“What makes tele-robotic surgery different is the distance between the surgeon and the patient. In our case, the patient was in Abuja while the surgeon was at Redeemer’s Health Village in Ogun State, about 500 kilometres away,” Dr Adedamola Dada, CEO of Redeemer’s Health Village, told Naija News.

He explained that the technology does not operate independently, as the surgeon remains in control of the robotic instruments.

“If a specialist is in another city, or even in another country, technology can potentially allow that expertise to reach the patient without the patient having to travel,” Dada said.

Inside The Three-Hour Operation

On September 19, 2026, Redeemer’s Health Village, RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja collaborated on a tele-robotic operation described by the participating institutions as Nigeria’s first.

Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna controlled the robotic system from Ogun State while the patient remained at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja. The procedure was a right radical nephrectomy, which involved removing a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.

The operation lasted approximately three hours, with a medical team in Abuja handling the patient’s anaesthesia, monitoring and other aspects of care.

“The remote surgeon controlled the robotic instruments used for the surgical procedure. At the same time, there was a complete medical team physically present with the patient in Abuja,” Dada told Naija News.

He said the approach combines remote specialist expertise with the work of medical professionals at the patient’s location.

“It is not about replacing doctors and nurses at the patient’s location. It is about connecting the patient-side team with specialised surgical expertise that may be somewhere else,” he said.

What If The Internet Fails?

One of the major concerns about remote surgery is what happens if the internet connection fails during an operation.

Dada said Starlink served as the primary connection during the procedure, while MTN provided backup connectivity. The teams also monitored the systems and paused at intervals to check that everything was working properly.

“You cannot depend on one system alone,” he said, explaining that a qualified medical team remained beside the patient in Abuja.

He did not disclose the exact internet delay recorded during the operation or provide details of a tested emergency handover procedure in the event of a complete connection failure.

However, he said the hospital would continue improving its technical safeguards and emergency protocols.

“We are dealing with human lives, so redundancy cannot be an afterthought. It is part of the process,” Dada said.

How Is The Patient Recovering?

According to Dada, the patient was in good condition after the operation and left the hospital within approximately 24 hours, subject to clinical assessment.

He said robotic-assisted surgery can offer benefits such as smaller incisions, reduced blood loss and faster recovery in suitable cases. However, outcomes depend on the patient’s condition, the procedure and the quality of care provided.

“Our focus is to provide the right treatment to the right patient and to achieve the best possible clinical outcome,” he said.

Dada also stressed that the robot does not make surgical decisions independently.

“It is not a robot operating independently on a human being. There is a highly trained surgeon controlling the system,” he told Naija News.

Can Ordinary Nigerians Afford It?

The cost of robotic surgery could determine whether the technology benefits ordinary Nigerians or remains accessible mainly to wealthy patients.

Dada said RHV’s target was to offer procedures at approximately five per cent of the cost of comparable operations in the United States and Europe. However, he did not disclose the actual price of the Abuja procedure, meaning the five per cent figure remains a stated target rather than a confirmed treatment fee.

He argued that providing advanced treatment locally could also save patients the cost of flights, accommodation, visas and extended stays abroad.

“Our objective is to make advanced surgical care more accessible to Nigerians, not to create another service that only a very small percentage of the population can afford,” he said.

He added that government support, health insurance and partnerships with private healthcare providers would be necessary to expand access.

Can It Reduce Medical Tourism?

Dada believes tele-robotic surgery could reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for specialised treatment by allowing expertise to reach patients at home.

“What we are demonstrating is that some of that expertise can be brought to Nigeria instead of moving the patient out of Nigeria,” he said.

He also sees the possibility of Nigerian specialists living abroad remotely operating on patients in the country.

“For example, a Nigerian specialist living in the United States could potentially operate on a patient in Nigeria without the patient having to travel abroad,” he told Naija News.

However, he acknowledged that technology alone would not solve Nigeria’s healthcare challenges.

“We also need reliable power, strong hospitals, trained personnel, appropriate regulation, health insurance coverage, medical research and continuous professional development,” he said.

Training More Nigerian Specialists

RHV is establishing a Robotic Academy in partnership with the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Redeemer’s University and RoboMed. According to Dada, the target is to train about 150 specialists within two years, including surgeons, nurses and biomedical engineers.

The hospital has also acquired two robotic systems, one for clinical services and another for training.

“We do not want a situation where Nigeria has the machines but has to continue bringing people from abroad to operate them,” Dada said.

“We want to train Nigerians who can perform the procedures, care for the patients, monitor them afterwards and eventually train others.”

He said expanding the technology would also require clear national guidelines covering professional licensing, patient consent, data protection, cybersecurity, emergency response and medical liability.