Angolan operated by doctor 7,000 miles away in ‘Africa first’

A cancer patient in Angola was recovering Thursday after undergoing the first robotic surgery on the continent conducted remotely by a surgeon in the United States, according to the hospitals involved.

The prostatectomy—partial or complete removal of the prostate—on June 14 was also the first in the world to be done over such a distance, they said.

It was “successfully performed” by Vipul Patel, medical director at the Global Robotics Institute, part of AdventHealth hospital in Celebration, Florida.

“The procedure spanned nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers), making it the longest distance telesurgery ever completed,” AdventHealth said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Complexo Hospitalar Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento (CHDC) in Angola’s capital Luanda said it was “the first teleassisted surgery performed in Angola and on the African continent.”

A multidisciplinary team of surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, engineers and a member of Patel’s team was present in the operating bloc, the CHDC said.

The surgery “went well,” the hospital’s director, Carlos Alberto Masseca, told AFP. Three days after the procedure, the patient, Fernando da Silva, 67, went home to recover.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Global Cancer Observatory.

Many countries on the continent, including Angola, have limited access to early detection and specialized surgical care.

The procedure is a “stunning breakthrough—not just technologically, but in advancing global health equity,” said Patel.

“It marks a critical step toward delivering high-quality surgical care to remote, rural and underserved communities that have long lacked access. This is more than innovation—it’s a humanitarian leap forward.”

© 2025 AFP

A cancer patient in Angola was recovering Thursday after undergoing the first robotic surgery on the continent conducted remotely by a surgeon in the United States, according to the hospitals involved.

The prostatectomy—partial or complete removal of the prostate—on June 14 was also the first in the world to be done over such a distance, they said.

It was “successfully performed” by Vipul Patel, medical director at the Global Robotics Institute, part of AdventHealth hospital in Celebration, Florida.

“The procedure spanned nearly 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers), making it the longest distance telesurgery ever completed,” AdventHealth said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Complexo Hospitalar Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento (CHDC) in Angola’s capital Luanda said it was “the first teleassisted surgery performed in Angola and on the African continent.”

A multidisciplinary team of surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, engineers and a member of Patel’s team was present in the operating bloc, the CHDC said.

The surgery “went well,” the hospital’s director, Carlos Alberto Masseca, told AFP. Three days after the procedure, the patient, Fernando da Silva, 67, went home to recover.

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Global Cancer Observatory.

Many countries on the continent, including Angola, have limited access to early detection and specialized surgical care.

The procedure is a “stunning breakthrough—not just technologically, but in advancing global health equity,” said Patel.

“It marks a critical step toward delivering high-quality surgical care to remote, rural and underserved communities that have long lacked access. This is more than innovation—it’s a humanitarian leap forward.”

© 2025 AFP