ABU DHABI \/\/ A world-renowned surgeon is in talks with UAE investors to build a multimillion-dirham robotic surgery centre in the emirate.<\/p>\n
It would be the first in the world with the technology to perform every kind of robotic surgery under one roof, said Adolfo Panfili, an Italian surgeon.<\/p>\n
Robotic surgery is a technique in which a surgeon performs an operation using a computer that remotely controls tiny instruments attached to a robot.<\/p>\n
Prof Panfili said that, while the plan was still in the very early stages, he had met several investors for talks on the private health centre.<\/p>\n
It would provide robotic neurosurgery, spine, knee, hip and general surgery, and urological, vascular and ophthalmologicaloperations.<\/p>\n
Robotic equipment is expensive, and Prof Panfili estimates the centre would cost up to US$20 million (Dh73.4m).<\/p>\n
A standard surgical robot costs about \u20ac1.3m (Dh6.2m), while the world’s most advanced model, Da Vinci, which was used in almost 400,000 operations worldwide last year, costs about \u20ac2m.<\/p>\n
While robotic surgery is a fast-growing sector of medicine, the concept is new to the Emirates, said Prof Panfili.<\/p>\n
He said robotic surgery had a 99.7 per cent success rate – about 10 per cent better than traditional operations.<\/p>\n
The technology also minimises the damage to the patient, while other benefits include quicker procedures and speedier recovery times.<\/p>\n
“There are 20 different kinds of robots<\/em>,” said Prof Panfili. “There are robots for the hip, for the knee, for the brain.<\/p>\n “Worldwide, several centres are implementing robotic devices for surgery in specific fields but none is implementing a holistic concept using all of the robots available on the market today.<\/p>\n “My aim is to develop a kind of centre where every kind of robotic surgery can be performed. One like this does not exist in the world.”<\/p>\n Prof Panfili said he hoped the centre would be built in the next two to five years, and include a training centre for surgeons.<\/p>\n