Cape Town hospital uses robot at forefront of surgery in Africa

[July 21, 2022]  CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A surgical team led by Dr Tim Forgan uses the da Vinci Xi robot to assist in removing a cancerous rectal tumour from a female patient at Tygerberg public hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

The robot, which has four 'arms' and is controlled in real time by Forgan via an immersive 3D consul, is the most advanced surgical robot in Africa. It is one of only two such robots in use on the continent, both of them found in South African public hospitals in Cape Town.

The platform is currently used mainly for complex urological, gynaecological and colorectal surgeries at these hospitals.

South African surgeons Dr Tim Forgan and Dr Imraan Mia use a robot called DaVinci to perform delicate operations at the Tygerberg hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, July 15, 2022. REUTERS/Shelley Christians

The first operation using the newly-acquired robot was performed at Tygerberg hospital in February, with dozens more successfully completed since then.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, William Maclean)

[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.