I write this article to praise not only the efforts and creativity of Dr. Saad Al-Dosari, Director of Sabah Al-Ahmad Kidney and Urology Center, but also all doctors who are similar to him in character, experience and understanding. My testimony regarding him is biased, as he is the doctor who takes care of my health at the center.
However, what is due must be mentioned. Dr. Al-Dosari and his medical team achieved the first-of-its-kind accomplishment in Kuwait and the region. They successfully performed 10 telesurgeries using the latest surgical robotic technology and advanced medical communication, establishing Kuwait as a prominent figure on the map of global medical development. This project began in December 2024, when the first remote surgery in the Middle East was performed. Dr. Al-Dosari operated in Shanghai, China, 7,000 kilometers away from Kuwait. The patient was lying in the operating room at Sabah Al-Ahmad Center, where he used direct link technologies and an advanced surgical robot to operate.
The successful operation marked a turning point in the future of surgical procedures in the country and the region. Achievements followed, as the same medical team performed seven more remote surgeries in April and June 2025 from Shanghai, averaging one major surgical case per day. All were successful. This step not only demonstrated the country’s high medical competence but also its advanced digital infrastructure and healthcare workforce. The medical team published the results of these eight surgeries in peer-reviewed medical journals. This qualified the performers to attend the annual conference of the International Society of Robotic Surgeons, held in Strasbourg, France.
They attended the conference, accompanied by Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadhi and his delegation. From there, Dr. Al-Dosari performed two remote surgeries on patients in Kuwait. The surgeries were broadcast live at the conference halls, with more than 2,500 attendees, including senior physicians. This brought the total number of robotic surgeries performed by the Kuwaiti team to 10. It is a record in the history of the Kuwaiti and global healthcare sector, especially since it included operations performed in two different countries and continents (China and France). In recognition of this great achievement, he received well-deserved congratulations from higher authorities that commended his efforts, his medical team, and all Kuwaiti healthcare professionals. They considered this achievement evidence of what Kuwaiti competencies can do when the will and technology are present.
For your information, remote surgery is a medical revolution in modern surgery. It enables surgical expertise to reach remote areas or facilities lacking highly specialized expertise, while reducing surgical response time in emergency cases. It enables collaboration with international centers to perform complex robotic surgeries, eliminating the need to send the patient abroad or invite doctors to the country. Furthermore, it plays a vital role in enhancing the efficiency of medical training and education through the ability to monitor operations remotely. This national achievement is a model worthy of emulation in the use of modern technology to better serve humanity and put Kuwait among the leading countries in remote robotic surgery, paving the way for further developments in the health sector.
By Ahmed alsarraf
email: [email protected]
