Hong Kong must widen surgical robotics access: FS

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan has called for the surgical robotics industry to broaden access to care, with the aim of making the city a global hub for medical-device innovation. Speaking at Cornerstone Robotics' inaugural Surgical Futures Forum, Chan said the field had spent 25 years proving its technical precision but now must focus on widening access.

He noted that design and cost remain significant obstacles, as current mainstream systems are tailored for well-resourced hospitals and are costly, bulky, and require extensive training, limiting their adoption. This explains why global penetration of surgical robotics remains below five percent. Chan emphasized that true innovation in surgical robotics should not only improve technology but also ensure more patients benefit from it.

A clear sign of progress came in September when global medtech company Medtronic announced a $700 million strategic investment in Hong Kong-based Cornerstone Robotics and secured distribution rights for its surgical system in selected international markets. Chan hailed this commitment as a strong endorsement of Hong Kong's innovation sector, stating that technology developed locally can gain the confidence of industry leaders and reach global markets through collaboration.

He also highlighted a robotic platform developed in Hong Kong, now installed at a leading surgical training center in Strasbourg, France, as evidence of the city's medtech sector's readiness to train surgeons worldwide. Chan proposed that Hong Kong should serve as an end-to-end support system for medical-device innovation, encompassing patient capital, biotech fundraising, regulation, clinical data, and cross-boundary trials.