— Antigua and Barbuda plans to invest in robotic surgery once the country has upgraded its telecommunications network to 5G, Prime Minister Gaston Browne says, as the government considers expanding advanced surgical services at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.

Speaking Saturday on the Browne and Browne Show, Browne said the government is already beginning discussions on acquiring robotic surgical technology, which could be used for procedures including prostate surgery and hysterectomies.

“What we want to do now, we want to get involved in robotic surgery,” Browne said. “But we’re told that we have to get 5G.”

His comments follow a Cabinet presentation last week on establishing a robotic prostate surgery programme in Antigua and Barbuda. Urologic oncologist and robotic surgeon Dr. David Samadi presented the concept, and Cabinet requested a comprehensive proposal covering equipment, infrastructure, costs, training and operations.

Browne said he has been advised that the country should have access to 5G technology within approximately six months.

“I’ve been advised that within the next six months we should get up to 5G,” he said.

The prime minister specifically identified APUA as one of the telecommunications providers expected to offer the technology.

“APUA will have 5G,” Browne said.

He also referred to an earlier commitment from Cable & Wireless.

“Cable & Wireless had promised us 5G before,” he said. “I’m hoping that they can deliver it shortly.”

Browne then directly linked the telecommunications upgrade with the government’s plans for robotic surgery.

“As soon as we get 5G, we — in fact, we’re starting negotiations now — we will be investing in robotic surgeries,” he said.

Browne said the technology could eventually be used for several types of operations.

“We will be investing in robotic surgeries, so people who are doing hysterectomies and so on, you’re doing prostate surgery, because it’s better precision,” he said.

“They don’t damage the amount of tissues and so on.”

Browne also highlighted the possibility of surgeons performing procedures remotely.

“That’s where we’re going next with robotic surgery, and you can actually do the surgeries remotely,” he said.

The prime minister said he had been told a surgical robot could cost approximately $2 million, although the transcript is unclear about the currency and becomes garbled during the subsequent discussion of costs.

The robotic surgery initiative forms part of a broader plan to modernize health services, according to Browne.

“We’ve also taken the decision to upgrade the equipment at Mount St. John immediately,” he said, referring to the hospital now known as Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.

Browne said the longer-term objective is to establish the hospital as a regional centre offering more sophisticated medical services.

“What we want to do is to also have Mount St. John turn into a center of excellence and to provide our people here in Antigua and Barbuda with first-class health care services,” he said.

The government also sees the potential to attract patients from elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Browne said the country could “potentially even export medical services to the rest of the region.”

The robotic surgery programme has not yet been finalized. Cabinet has asked Samadi to submit a full proposal before a decision is made, and no official cost or implementation date was announced at last week’s post-Cabinet briefing.

But Browne said Saturday that negotiations are already beginning and indicated that deployment of 5G is viewed by the government as an important step toward implementing the technology.

“As soon as we get 5G,” Browne said, “we will be investing in robotic surgeries.”

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda Plans Robotic Surgery After 5G Upgrade, PM Says.