Pastor Alexander Idachaba, the first patient to undergo robot-assisted radical prostatectomy at Redeemer’s Health Village Hospital, has described his experience, saying he chose the procedure in Nigeria rather than travelling abroad for treatment.
Idachaba, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God and a PhD holder in Electrical Engineering, said he learned about the hospital through its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adedamola Dada .
“I decided that was the best option and that’s the one I would prefer, rather than flying out of the country somewhere else to go do it,” he said .
The pastor said he arrived at the hospital in the last week of August and was taken through orientation sessions to acquaint him with the surgical process. He met with Dr Ifeanyi and other members of the surgical team, who explained what to expect before, during and after the procedure .
Idachaba described being the first patient on the newly introduced robotic system as a significant experience.
“Incidentally, I’m the first one on the robot that was brought in, and that’s I consider it a great grace from God giving me that opportunity,” he said .
The surgery was a complete success, allowing for his discharge less than 24 hours after the procedure. He noted feeling mild pain after the operation, but said “the pain subsided quickly” once he received medication .
“I know that the robot that was brought in was a high-class robot, and being a robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy, accuracy is guaranteed, and everything went well,” Idachaba said .
Reflecting on his recovery, he emphasised that robotic-assisted surgery provides higher surgical precision, significantly less pain and a gentler impact on the patient. He said his family had been impressed by the hospital’s facilities and that his children had obtained medical cards there .
“Definitely, I’m going to tell all my friends that need to have any kind of procedure to come here,” he said .
The procedure, a radical prostatectomy, is a major surgical operation performed to remove the entire prostate gland along with surrounding tissue, primarily used as a curative treatment for localised prostate cancer .
The surgery was carried out by Prof. Obi Ekwenna-Davis, co-founder of RoboMed Global, alongside local physicians including Dr Ifeanyi, in partnership with the US-based RoboMed Global Inc .
During the same period, Redeemer’s Health Village also performed West Africa’s first telerobotic surgery, where surgeons in Ogun State remotely operated on a kidney tumour patient in Abuja, about 500 kilometres away, using a Toumai robotic system connected via Starlink internet with MTN as backup .
