Rabat – Moroccan surgeon Youness Ahallal recently led the world’s first intercontinental robotic prostatectomy. He performed the surgery from Shanghai while a team in Casablanca assisted remotely.
While this milestone is historic in its own right, a key significance lies in how this technology can transform healthcare access. Morocco World News spoke with Ahallal to discuss his work and how such procedures could redefine the landscape of surgery.
“This achievement is a leap forward for Moroccan healthcare … It demonstrates that Morocco can be at the forefront of innovation, providing cutting-edge care even in remote areas,” Ahallal told MWN.
Like many countries, Morocco faces significant disparities in healthcare access. Urban areas are often equipped with advanced medical facilities while rural and remote regions usually struggle to provide quality care due to the lack of specialized medical professionals and infrastructure.
Democratization of telesurgery
This is where telesurgery holds great promise, Ahallal said. “This operation paves the way for the democratization of telesurgery, particularly in regions where access to medical experts is limited,” he explained.
The doctor added that this medical breakthrough makes it possible to connect patients in geographically isolated areas with global experts without needing to travel.
“This innovation has the potential to reduce inequalities in healthcare access and improve surgical outcomes across Morocco,” Ahallal added.
Telesurgery could also fast-track the development of local expertise, the doctor said, arguing that it could open up opportunities for mentorship and skill transfer through distance-based training.
“With telesurgery technologies, this geographical barrier is eliminated, enabling training and mentorship on a whole new level,” he explained.
While the promise of telesurgery is appealing, its implementation in healthcare systems, such as in Morocco, would require overcoming significant financial challenges. Such procedures require sophisticated robotic systems, internet infrastructure, and training programs, which would come at a high cost.
Read also: Oncoraid Group Performs Morocco’s First Robot-Assisted Surgeries
Telesurgery allows surgeons to perform complex procedures from miles away by using robotic systems and high-speed, low-latency internet connections. The prostatectomy that Ahallal performed was conducted over 12,000 kilometers to remove the prostate gland of a patient with localized prostate cancer.
“During the operation, my focus was entirely on the patient and the system’s performance,” the doctor said, adding that he was well-aware of the “magnitude of the moment but had to stay calm and precise.”
Fortunately, “all the stars were aligned and the surgery went beyond perfect,” he said.
While Ahallal was performing the surgery thousands of kilometers away, an experienced local team was on site to intervene if any issues occurred. “Thankfully, there were no moments of uncertainty, as the network remained stable throughout the operation, and there was no need for the local team to intervene,” he remarked.
In the months leading up to the surgery, Ahallal and his team worked closely with IT specialists, engineers, and medical experts in both Morocco and China to test and refine the technology used. “We performed many simulations over 4 months before the D day to ensure the robotic system’s responsiveness and reliability over such a long distance,” the doctor recalled.
He noted that the team established clear protocols in case connectivity issues occured.
“The day before the operation, we conducted tests on inert material. This test was very successful, and we were able to achieve everything we aimed to accomplish with extreme precision,” Ahallal said.
Of the challenges such an operation could face, he noted the issue of stability and latency of the connections due to the great distance. The procedure relies on ultra-low latency and high speed internet connection to ensure synchronization between the commands and the robot’s actions.
To avoid such challenges, Ahallal and his team collaborated with telecommunications providers to ensure a high speed, very low latency (<200ms) and a stable connection.
Another challenge is data security, with Ahlallal noting the importance of patient confidentiality and data protection. He said that “advanced encryption protocols and sophisticated firewalls” were employed to safeguard information.
