US surgeon operates on patient in Angola remotely
One of the promises of robotic surgery is that distance between doctor and patient will be no barrier to a successful operation. — AFP
A cancer patient in Angola recently underwent the first robotic surgery on the continent conducted remotely by a surgeon in the United States, according to the hospitals involved.
The prostatectomy – partial or complete removal of the prostate – on June 14 (2025) was also the first in the world to be done over such a distance, they said.
It was 'successfully performed' by urologic surgeon Dr Vipul Patel, who is also the medical director at AdventHealth Global Robotics Institute in Florida, US.
'The procedure spanned nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometres), making it the longest distance telesurgery ever completed,' AdventHealth said in a statement on June 19 (2025).
The Complexo Hospitalar Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento (CHDC) in Angola's capital Luanda said it was 'the first teleassisted surgery performed in Angola and on the African continent'.
A multidisciplinary team of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, engineers and a member of Dr Patel's team was present in the operating block, the CHDC said.
The surgery 'went well', the hospital's director Carlos Alberto Masseca said.
Three days after the procedure, the patient Fernando da Silva, 67, went home to recover.
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Global Cancer Observatory.
Many countries on the continent, including Angola, have limited access to early detection and specialised surgical care.
The procedure is a 'stunning breakthrough, not just technologically, but in advancing global health equity,' said Dr Patel.
'It marks a critical step toward delivering high-quality surgical care to remote, rural and underserved communities that have long lacked access.
'This is more than innovation, it's a humanitarian leap forward.' – AFP
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