RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital has successfully completed 11 consecutive remote robotic surgeries, extending specialised surgical care to patients in different locations through advanced telemedicine technology.
The procedures were carried out remotely by a surgical team based in Riyadh on patients receiving treatment in Hail and other locations across the capital, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The initiative forms part of an expanding national network designed to connect specialist surgical expertise with healthcare facilities in different parts of the Kingdom, including areas that are geographically distant from major medical centres.
The remotely performed operations covered a range of complex and specialised procedures. These included a right lower-lobe lung resection, sleeve gastrectomy, hernia repair, pelvic exploration and hysterectomy.
The hospital said the right lower-lobe resection represented the second remote lobectomy of its kind performed worldwide, while the programme also recorded the fifth remote pneumonectomy globally.
The achievement is part of Saudi Arabia’s Remote Surgical Procedures Protocol Project, launched by Seha Virtual Hospital to establish a national reference framework for the use of robotic technology in remote surgery.
The framework is intended to regulate remotely conducted robotic interventions while ensuring that procedures are carried out in line with stringent standards for patient safety, clinical quality and operational reliability.
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The robotic surgical systems deployed under the project have been approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), confirming their authorisation for clinical use and compliance with the Kingdom’s regulatory and safety requirements.
The development highlights Saudi Arabia’s growing use of digital healthcare and robotic technology to bridge geographical distances and make highly specialised medical services accessible to patients beyond major healthcare centres.
By enabling specialist surgical teams to operate remotely, the programme could further strengthen the integration of advanced medical technology into the Kingdom’s healthcare system and support access to specialised treatment in remote and underserved areas.
