A London-based Indian-origin surgeon has created medical history by successfully completing the UK’s first remote robotic surgeries on patients in Gibraltar, at a distance of around 2,400 km away.Professor Prokar Dasgupta, a world-leading robotic urological surgeon who heads The London Clinic’s Robotic Centre of Excellence, said his two test cases were an excellent example of the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).He completed the prostatectomy, a partial or complete removal of the prostate gland, on a 52-year-old unnamed patient on Wednesday, with a previous successful procedure on February 11.“This is an excellent example of teamwork, friendship, international determination and responsible AI to make this happen after a year of planning,” said Dasgupta.The London Clinic said it established the hospital as the first in the country to conduct such a remote robot-assisted telesurgery, in collaboration with the Gibraltar Health Authority and urological surgeons James Allan and Paul Hughes at St. Bernard’s Hospital in Gibraltar.The procedure, performed with the Toumai Robotic System by Microport, has the potential to revolutionise surgery for patients globally.In January, 62-year-old Paul Buxton, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and offered the opportunity by the two hospitals to take part in a telesurgery trial.He had moved to Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, from the United Kingdom around 40 years ago and was originally planning to travel to London for the surgery.“I explained to Mr Buxton that we now have the technology to perform this remotely. Why waste time, energy, money and inconvenience to fly over? I stay in London, he stays in Gibraltar,” recalled Prof. Dasgupta.Buxton, recovering well from his surgery, said it was a “privilege” to be part of medical history and is hopeful that it will pave the way for many similar surgeries.“Of course, I was concerned at first, but having researched it, I thought someone has to be the first, don’t they?”“I hope my experience encourages other people to consider telesurgery. I’ve had three or four operations before, for hernias, and I didn’t feel that great after, but I felt completely different this time – the recovery is so much quicker and I’ve not had to travel overseas,” he said.The telesurgery was supported by logistics from global technology services and solutions provider Presidio, using a 3D camera with a time lag of just 0.06 seconds across the two countries.Robotic-assisted surgery is not new, having been around for the past 20 years, but it is only recently that technology has made it possible for robots to connect across long distances using fibre optic cables and 5G connectivity.“Delivering modern healthcare to small remote populations is challenging – there aren’t enough patients which means the surgeons aren’t doing enough operations to be really good at those operations to be really safe,” said Consultant Urologist Dr James Allan, the Gibraltar Health Authority’s lead for Robotics, Teleremote Surgery and Innovation.“That means patients have to travel. Or rather they did until now. Gibraltar is rewriting surgical history. We are no longer followers – we are leaders,” he said.The London Clinic and St. Bernard’s Hospital is now set to livestream another telesurgery procedure at the European Association Congress in London on March 14 to an audience of 20,000 urology surgeons.“The London Clinic is proud to be part of medical history and we have a strong reputation for medical firsts… We hope more patients will be able to benefit from this incredible medical breakthrough,” said Al Russell, CEO of The London Clinic.The Toumai robotic system at the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) was funded through a grant from Kusuma Trust Gibraltar, with additional charitable support from Prostate Cancer Gibraltar and further investment by the GHA.Gemma Arias-Vasquez, minister for health, care and business in Gibraltar, hailed the “landmark moment” for the self-governing territory.“To deliver a complex procedure in Gibraltar with the operating surgeon based in London shows how technology, investment and the expertise of our clinicians are transforming healthcare.”“Patients can now benefit from world-leading specialist care at The London Clinic without the disruption of travelling abroad, and that is a huge step forward for a modern, patient-centred health service,” she said.The UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS) plans to expand telesurgery networks as part of a 10-year plan tabled last year. It is hoped that such remote robotic-assisted procedures will also be used for other surgeries, such as gynaecological, colorectal and upper gastrointestinal conditions.