Things to know about surgeon who led Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery

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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.

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Davies-Ekwenna led the team that performed Nigeria’s first tele-robotic surgery, remotely operating on a patient in Abuja from Redeemer’s Health Village in Mowe, Ogun State.

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The landmark procedure, announced on Saturday, involved a robot-assisted right radical nephrectomy to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.

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Davies-Ekwenna performed the operation from a Toumai robotic surgical console at RHV, while the patient remained at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.

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The surgical robot at the Abuja hospital was connected to the robotic control system at RHV through an internet connection, allowing the surgeon to operate on the patient remotely.

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The procedure was carried out in real time, with Davies-Ekwenna’s movements transmitted to the robotic system at the Abuja hospital.

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Following the surgery, Davies-Ekwenna said the development demonstrated how tele-robotic technology could help overcome geographical barriers to specialist healthcare.

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“We were able to operate on a patient in Abuja, 500 kilometres away. We were able to operate on a patient with a kidney tumour, a cancer tumour. And so that was successful,” he said.

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He added that the technology could expand access to specialist expertise beyond the location of the surgeon.

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“It means access to experts from within and outside the country. Telesurgery can be done from any part of the world with precision, with excellent results,” the robotic surgeon said.

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In a video shared by Redeemer’s Health Village on its Instagram page on Sunday, Davies-Ekwenna was seen thanking members of the medical teams in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun State after the procedure was completed.

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He was also cheered by members of the team at the hospital following the successful operation.

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The video was captioned, “POV: You just completed The First Tele-Robotic Surgery in West Africa.”

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Things to know about Obi Davies-Ekwenna

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He is a professor and robotic surgeon

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Davies-Ekwenna is a Professor of Urology and Transplant Surgery and a robotic surgeon. He is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of RoboMed Global Inc. and the Managing Director of Robo Medics.

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He is a professor at the University of Toledo

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He is a Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Urology at the University of Toledo in Ohio, United States, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Urology Residency Programme.

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Before becoming a professor, Davies-Ekwenna worked as an Assistant Professor of Urology and Transplantation and later as an Associate Professor.

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He has been involved in robotic surgery programmes

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Davies-Ekwenna has been involved in the development of robotic surgical programmes in Nigeria and West Africa, including the tele-robotic procedure that connected the medical team in Ogun State with a patient in Abuja.

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He trained in urology and transplantation

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His professional training includes an abdominal transplantation fellowship at the University of Miami, where he also completed his urology residency.

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He obtained his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine after earning a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

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He holds professional certifications

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Davies-Ekwenna is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology.

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The surgery

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The procedure was a collaboration between Redeemer’s Health Village, RoboMed Global and Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja.

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Tele-robotic surgery, also known as remote surgery, allows a surgeon to operate on a patient from another location using robotic equipment and telecommunications technology.

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In the Nigerian procedure, the patient was in Abuja while Davies-Ekwenna controlled the surgical robot from the RHV facility in Ogun State. Medical teams were present at both locations to support the procedure.

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The operation marked a new stage in the country’s use of robotic surgery, following the development of RHV’s robotic surgery programme.

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Davies-Ekwenna said the achievement was not only about completing one operation but also about developing the capacity to provide advanced surgical care to patients regardless of where they live.

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He said the initiative could allow specialists in Nigeria and abroad to provide expertise to patients without requiring them to travel long distances or outside the country.

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What next?

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Following the successful operation, Davies-Ekwenna said continuous training would be important to sustain the technology.

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He disclosed plans for a robotic academy that would train surgeons and other medical professionals, with a target of training at least 150 surgeons within two years.

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The procedure brought together medical teams in Ogun and Abuja, with the robotic system enabling Davies-Ekwenna to perform the surgery remotely.

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The successful operation could mark a significant development in the use of tele-robotic technology to expand access to specialist surgical care in Nigeria.

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