Prime Highlights :
- Saudi Arabia performed its first remote robotic surgery, with surgeons in Riyadh operating on a patient in Jeddah using a live robotic link.
- The success opens the door to specialized surgeries across cities without patients needing to travel, potentially cutting costs and travel time.
Key Facts :
- Kidney and urology teams from King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah and Riyadh jointly performed the surgery.
- The KANGDUO SageBot platform was used, controlled remotely in real time.
Background :
Surgeons in Riyadh remotely operated on a patient in Jeddah on [date], marking the first telesurgery performed in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs said the procedure took place at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, while a medical team at the sister facility in Riyadh controlled the surgical robot from hundreds of kilometers away.
The kidney and urology departments at both medical cities carried out the operation together, using the KANGDUO SageBot robotic platform. The Riyadh team guided the robot’s movements in real time, using high speed communication links and precise robotic controls to finish the surgery without complications.
Ministry officials called the operation a major step for robotic surgery in the country. They said it shows how closely National Guard hospitals in different cities can now work together, sharing specialized surgical skills regardless of distance.
Officials also said the technology could change how complex surgeries reach patients across the Kingdom. People who once had to travel to another city for a specialist procedure may soon stay at their local hospital while an expert operates remotely. This could cut travel time, lower costs, and ease the burden on patients too unwell to travel far for treatment.
The ministry described the surgery as part of a wider effort to modernize healthcare across its hospital network. By connecting surgical teams in different cities through robotic platforms, officials say specialized care can reach patients faster and more widely, not just at a few major hospitals.
