The £2.4m Da Vinci gynae robot, operated by four trained consultants, uses precise robotic wrists designed to navigate tight pelvic spaces more effectively than human hands. Having completed 130 operations since May—including 105 severe endometriosis interventions—the platform allows multispecialty treatments that were previously unavailable to local patients. The surgical rollout coincides with a £1.95m regional healthcare package announced by Health Minister Robbie Butler. This funding will support trust-level care alongside two regional specialist hubs based at Belfast City and Altnagelvin Area hospitals.
Key points
Dedicated gynaecological robotics prevent patients with severe conditions from having the…: Dedicated gynaecological robotics prevent patients with severe conditions from having their surgeries displaced by urgent cancer operations.
The advanced platform helps address Northern Ireland's prolonged gynaecological waiting l…: The advanced platform helps address Northern Ireland's prolonged gynaecological waiting lists, which currently average around seven years.
Establishing specialist treatment centres at Belfast City and Altnagelvin Area hospitals…: Establishing specialist treatment centres at Belfast City and Altnagelvin Area hospitals aims to enhance medical recruitment and multispecialty care.
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Like thousands of women in Northern Ireland, Colleen Crothers waited decades for medical help to treat chronic endometriosis - and, now thanks to an all-island first, she's hoping her long road will be a thing of the past.
"Robotic surgery came too late for me," she said. "I hope other women won't have to wait as long."
She is talking about a new breakthrough for female patients in Northern Ireland - the Da Vinci gynae robot at Belfast City Hospital.
Operated by humans, the robot's wrists can twist and turn in tight pelvic spaces and it is said to be more precise at complex surgery than a human hand because it is steadier.
Belfast's Da Vinci robot is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland and one of only a few across the UK.
It has the potential to massively reduce complex gynaecological surgical waiting lists in Northern Ireland, which affect thousands of women's physical and mental health and their ability to have children.
With an average wait of about seven years for complex surgery,…
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