Imo State will commence robotic-assisted surgery on Friday in what Governor Hope Uzodimma described as a major milestone in the state’s healthcare development.
The procedure will be performed at the Imo Robotics and Oncology Centre (IROC), located within the reconstructed Imo Specialist Hospital, Umuguma in Owerri West Local Government Area.
Addressing newsmen at the Government House in Owerri, Uzodimma said the initiative was part of his administration’s deliberate investment in modern healthcare infrastructure, specialist services and medical technology.
He said the reconstruction and expansion of the Imo Specialist Hospital was conceived to provide the state with a modern specialist institution capable of managing complex medical conditions without patients having to travel outside the state.
According to him, the hospital now has a modern accident and emergency section, intensive care and neonatal intensive care facilities, dedicated theatres, medical oxygen infrastructure, diagnostic services, maternity and paediatric facilities, physiotherapy, mental health services and specialist wards.
The governor said the robotic surgical system had been installed and the theatre prepared for clinical use, stressing that the acquisition of the technology was being complemented with specialist expertise and knowledge transfer.
The first procedure will be led by Professor Kingsley Ekwueme, a United Kingdom-based Consultant Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgeon, alongside other medical professionals.
Uzodimma said the partnership was designed not only to facilitate the use of the technology but also to expose local medical personnel to advanced surgical techniques.
He noted that robotic-assisted surgery could provide surgeons with greater precision and control in appropriate procedures while supporting minimally invasive surgery, reducing blood loss and potentially shortening patients’ recovery time.
