Panama performs first robotic telesurgery, connecting surgeons in capital to patient in Chiriquí

Panama has achieved a significant milestone in medical technology with the successful completion of its first robotic telesurgery. The groundbreaking procedure involved surgeons operating on a 67-year-old patient in the province of Chiriquí from the specialized facilities at the Ciudad de la Salud in Panama City. This pioneering intervention, a robotic prostatectomy, was made possible by a state-of-the-art, high-capacity connection that ensured a latency of just 16 milliseconds. This extremely low delay allowed the robotic system in Chiriquí to replicate the surgeons' movements from the capital with remarkable precision, effectively bridging the geographical distance. Marcos Young, national director of Health Services and Benefits at the Caja de Seguro Social (CSS), described the procedure as a "total success," noting the system's near-instantaneous response. He highlighted that this achievement marks a new era for specialized medical care in Panama, demonstrating that distance no longer needs to be a barrier for patients in the interior to access complex procedures without the need for travel to the capital. The CSS director general, Dino Mon Vásquez, added that this development strengthens the advancement of robotic surgery and lays the groundwork for expanding precision medicine, specialist training, and inter-provincial surgical collaboration. Edgar Figueroa, medical director of the Ciudad de la Salud, further elaborated on the potential of telesurgery, emphasizing its capacity to open new avenues for medical education and remote support for specialists during intricate operations. The surgery itself took approximately two and a half hours without significant complications, and the experience was deemed equivalent to performing the surgery in person. The CSS plans to expand this service by installing a third surgical robot in Herrera province after consolidating the program in Chiriquí, aiming to decentralize high-complexity medical services across the country.