Indian-origin surgeon performs UK’s first long-distance robotic surgery from London to Gibraltar

A London-based Indian-origin surgeon has created medical history by successfully performing the UK’s first long-distance remote robotic surgery on patients in Gibraltar, nearly 2,400 kilometres away, marking a major step forward in the use of digital technology in modern healthcare.

Professor Prokar Dasgupta, a globally recognised robotic urological surgeon and head of the Robotic Centre of Excellence at The London Clinic, carried out the procedures from London while the patients were operated on at St. Bernard’s Hospital.

The surgeries involved robot-assisted prostatectomies , the removal of part or all of the prostate gland. One procedure was performed on Wednesday on a 52-year-old patient, following another successful operation on February 11. The project was conducted in collaboration with the Gibraltar Health Authority and local surgeons James Allan and Paul Hughes.

The operation used the Toumai robotic system developed by Microport (Shanghai, China). The robot has four mechanical arms and a high-definition 3D camera , allowing the surgeon to control the procedure from a remote console. The system was connected through fibre-optic networks and 5G connectivity supported by Presidio (New York City), ensuring a delay of only 0.06-second signal delay between the surgeon’s movements and the robot’s response.

“This is an excellent example of teamwork, friendship, international determination and responsible use of AI after a year of planning,” Dasgupta said, describing the operation as a milestone that went extremely well.

One of the patients, 62-year-old Paul Buxton, was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year. Instead of travelling to London and joining an NHS waiting list , he agreed to take part in the telesurgery trial.

“A lot of people said, ‘You’re not going to do it, are you?’ But I thought I’m giving something back here,” Buxton said, adding he felt “fantastic” four days after surgery and recovered faster than after previous operations.

Doctors confirmed a backup surgical team remained present in Gibraltar in case of network disruption. Experts say such remote robotic telesurgery technology could improve access to specialist care for remote populations.

The hospitals plan to livestream another procedure during the European Association of Urology Congress 2026 in London on March 14 to around 20,000 surgeons.

Officials in Gibraltar described the development as a landmark moment, while the National Health Service is exploring expanding telesurgery networks as part of plans to modernise healthcare delivery.