Imo State has achieved a landmark in healthcare by successfully performing its first robotic-assisted surgery on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the newly established Imo Robotics and Oncology Centre within the Imo Specialist Hospital in Umuguma, Owerri.
The procedure, carried out on a patient diagnosed with prostate cancer, was led by UK-based Consultant Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgeon Professor Kingsley Ekwueme, an Imo indigene, alongside a team of specialists from the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, and Nigeria. Governor Hope Uzodimma witnessed the operation, describing it as a major step toward delivering quality, affordable specialised care and reducing the need for medical tourism abroad.
Ekwueme, who also serves as Lead Urological Surgeon at Glan Clwyd Hospital in the UK, called the surgery a “complete success.” He noted that the AI-enabled robot allows 10-times magnification of tissues, delivers high precision with built-in safety checks, and resulted in no cuts, blood loss, or nerve damage. Benefits include preserved urinary control and sexual function, with the patient expected to recover quickly, potentially eating local dishes like pounded yam and ofe Owerri and returning home the next day.
The centre operates under a public-private partnership and forms part of broader upgrades at the specialist hospital. Officials describe it as one of the most ambitious healthcare projects by a sub-national government in Nigeria, combining robotic surgery with oncology services to treat cancer, urological conditions, and other complex cases while enabling local training and skills transfer.
The milestone positions Imo as a regional leader in advanced medical technology and aligns with the state’s health insurance scheme, which offers residents access to care for ₦15,000 annually.
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