{
  "id": 9177231,
  "title": "Things to know about surgeon who led Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/things-to-know-about-surgeon-who-led-nigerias-first-tele-robotic",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-22T19:00:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/things-to-know-about-surgeon-who-led-nigerias-first-tele-robotic-surgery/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna, a urology and transplant surgery expert, led Nigeria's first tele-robotic surgery. The landmark procedure involved remotely operating on a patient in Abuja from Redeemer's Health Village in Mowe, Ogun State. The surgery, a right radical nephrectomy to remove a cancerous kidney, was performed using a Toumai robotic surgical console at the hospital, connected to the Abuja hospital via an internet link. Davies-Ekwenna, a professor at the University of Toledo in Ohio, has been instrumental in developing robotic surgical programs in Nigeria and West Africa. He stated that the procedure demonstrated how tele-robotic technology could overcome geographical barriers to specialist healthcare, providing access to experts from within and outside the country. Following the successful operation, Davies-Ekwenna plans to establish a robotic academy to train at least 150 surgeons within two years, aiming to expand access to advanced surgical care nationwide.",
  "summary": "Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna, the Managing Director of Robo Medics and founder and Chief Executive Officer of RoboMed Global Inc., is a professor of urology and transplant surgery who has been involved in pioneering robotic surgical programmes in Nigeria and West Africa. Davies-Ekwenna led the team that performed Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery, remotely operating on a Read More:…",
  "key_points": [
    "Professor Obi Davies-Ekwenna led Nigeria's first tele-robotic surgery.",
    "The surgery was a right radical nephrectomy performed remotely from Mowe to Abuja.",
    "Davies-Ekwenna plans to establish a robotic academy to train 150 surgeons."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Things to know about surgeon who led Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/things-to-know-about-surgeon-who-led-nigerias-first-tele-robotic-9179409",
        "published": "2026-09-22T19:12:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}