Nigeria’s healthcare story is gaining a new dimension as Redeemer’s Health Village in Lagos moves advanced robotic surgery from an idea into clinical practice.
The 300-bed multispecialty hospital, founded by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has unveiled a robotic surgery programme in partnership with RoboMed Global Inc., USA, committing $4 million to the initiative.
The bigger story is not the machine but the attempt to build the people, knowledge and healthcare infrastructure that will allow Nigeria to perform complex procedures locally rather than continually sending patients overseas.
That ambition is also reflected in the pricing strategy. Dr Adedamola Dada, Chief Executive Officer of Redeemer’s Health Village, said robotic procedures at the hospital are expected to cost about five per cent of what similar procedures cost in the United States and Europe. The facility is also targeting patients across the West African sub-region.
“We’re going to be doing this surgery at maybe about 5% of the cost. We are targeting the entire West African sub-region,” Dada said.
The initiative was unveiled in Lagos in the presence of senior figures from the health sector and Nigerian public life, including the Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako; former Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Mamora; Consultant General and Laparoscopic Surgeon at LASUTH, Prof. Mobolaji Oludara; National Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group, Hon. Olawale Oshun; and RoboMed Global Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Obi Davies-Ekwenna.
From importing expertise to building it at home
For Nigeria, the real measure of the programme may ultimately be the number of Nigerian professionals who become capable of operating, supporting and advancing robotic surgery.
RHV plans to address that challenge through the RHV Robotic Academy, which Dada said will commence on October 22.
The academy will use a five-stage training pathway covering didactic lectures, dry laboratory training, wet laboratory training involving cadaver and animal models, human training, followed by examination and credentialing.
The objective is to create a sustainable pipeline of Nigerian robotic surgeons and other professionals instead of depending on specialists brought in from abroad.
“We do not want a situation where we bring people from abroad. We want to create a pipeline of Human Resources,” Dada said.
He explained that locally trained professionals would not only perform procedures but also monitor patients and provide follow-up care. The longer-term ambition, he added, is to develop robotic surgeons across Nigeria.
“This is where the rest of the world is going, and as a country we cannot afford to take the backstage,” he said.
Why the technology matters
Robotic-assisted surgery can offer greater precision during complex procedures, while potentially reducing blood loss and shortening patients’ recovery periods.
Those advantages are part of the reason health sector stakeholders see the development as an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for advanced medical care.
Dr Salako described the arrival of robotic surgery at RHV as a development capable of saving lives and adding value to the Nigerian healthcare system.
“The vision of robotic surgery that is being translated into reality today will no doubt help to save lives and add value to the country,” he said.
According to the minister, the programme aligns with two of the four pillars of the Federal Government’s health transformation agenda: improving health outcomes and unlocking the healthcare value chain.
He also connected the development to the government’s objective of changing Nigeria’s medical tourism pattern from outbound to inbound, thereby reducing the foreign exchange lost when Nigerians travel abroad for treatment.
The structured training programme, Salako noted, should also help Nigerian surgeons acquire the necessary skills and certification to practise robotic surgery safely and under controlled conditions.
He described the initiative as a commendable route for updating the clinical skills of Nigerian surgeons as medical technology evolves.
Salako urged stakeholders across the healthcare value chain to work towards a system anchored on equity and affordability and capable of meeting the health needs of Nigerians at any point in time.
The machine is only the beginning
Former Minister of State for Health, Senator Adeleke Mamora, welcomed the RHV initiative but offered a perspective on what will determine its success.
His message was straightforward: acquiring a robot is not the same thing as creating a robotic surgery programme that can endure.
“Buying a robot is the easy part. Building an ecosystem is the real challenge,” Mamora said.
That ecosystem, he explained, must extend well beyond surgeons. It requires trained anaesthetists, theatre nurses, biomedical engineers, information technology specialists and maintenance support.
It must also include quality assurance systems, clinical governance, sustainable financing and continuous professional development.
Mamora further stressed that no single institution can build such an ecosystem on its own.
Government, private healthcare providers and faith-based institutions all have roles to play, with long-term success depending on partnerships founded on trust, shared objectives and sustained commitment.
For him, the technology also presents an opportunity to tackle brain drain by ensuring that more sophisticated surgical procedures can be performed safely and successfully inside Nigeria.
A partnership aimed at keeping patients in Nigeria
Prof. Obi Davies-Ekwenna, CEO of RoboMed Global, said the organisation’s partnership with RHV is driven by the need to ensure that Nigerians requiring advanced surgical care do not have to leave the country to obtain it.
RoboMed Global intends to expand access to world-class surgical services by developing sustainable robotic surgery programmes, training local surgeons and strengthening healthcare systems across West Africa.
If the programme develops the required pool of surgeons and supporting professionals, it could create a foundation for robotic surgery to spread to other parts of Nigeria and eventually strengthen the country’s capacity to serve patients from neighbouring West African countries.
Technology with a human purpose
The RCCG leadership has equally framed the initiative around service, research and the preservation of life.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the RCCG, said the programme would contribute to training Nigerian surgeons, supporting research and reducing the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for advanced medical procedures.
Pastor Adeboye, represented at the launch by RCCG First National Overseer Pastor Joseph Olayemi, said the combination of surgical expertise, robotic precision and the responsible application of technology could help save lives.
“We believe that knowledge, science and technology, when responsibly and compassionately deployed with the fear of God, are powerful instruments for preserving life and alleviating human suffering,” Olayemi said.
The launch of robotic surgery at Redeemer’s Health Village therefore places Nigeria at an important intersection of medicine, technology and local capacity development.
The immediate milestone is the introduction of robotic-assisted procedures. The more consequential objective is to ensure that the expertise required to use the technology does not remain foreign.
With a $4 million investment, a dedicated training academy, a five-stage professional development pathway and a target of serving Nigeria and the West African market, RHV is betting that the future of advanced surgery in the region can be built here by Nigerian professionals, for patients who should not have to cross borders to receive world-class care.
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