Rabat – Oncorad Group, a private healthcare provider in Morocco, has successfully carried out the first robotic surgery in Africa to implant an artificial urinary sphincter.
The operation was performed at the group’s “Littoral Clinic Ain Diab” in Casablanca on a 24-year-old patient who is paralyzed in the lower part of her body.
The group said in a statement that this highly complex procedure had never before been attempted on the continent, even with traditional surgical methods.
The artificial urinary sphincter is a highly specialized device designed to restore bladder control for patients who suffer from continuous involuntary urine loss due to a malfunction of the natural sphincter.
Robotic surgery makes it possible to perform this delicate operation with more precision, fewer risks, quicker recovery, and greater comfort for the patient, added the statement.
Only three centers in France can perform this procedure, and just two use robotic surgery. Until now, no center in Africa had developed this level of expertise, which requires advanced skills in both reconstructive urological surgery and surgical robotics.
“This success shows our commitment to pushing the limits of medicine in Morocco and Africa,” said Doctor Youness Ahallal, urological surgeon and robotic surgery expert at Littoral Clinic Ain Diab.
Beyond technology
The group stated that the success of this first operation opens new doors for many patients suffering from paralysis or severe urinary incontinence. It also shows that Morocco can now provide top-level medical care without patients needing to travel abroad.
What we have achieved goes beyond technology; it gives a second chance to patients who thought they had no solution,”Ahallal concluded.
Back in November 2024, Oncorad Group achieved a world record by conducting the first intercontinental, robot-assisted prostatectomy across a distance of 12,000 kilometers, between Casablanca and Shanghai.
Following that, in 2025, they performed a second telesurgery, this time between their own clinics in Casablanca and Tangier.
