In an unprecedented medical achievement reflecting the qualitative leaps witnessed by the healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Medical City in Mecca set a new record by successfully performing 100 robotic surgeries in a very short period. This figure is a strong indicator of the development of the city's operational system and its leadership in adopting the latest global medical technologies, thus marking the fastest launch of robotic surgeries within the Ministry of Health and one of the fastest regional launches by 2025.
A revolution in the world of microsurgery
This step comes within the context of the global shift towards minimally invasive surgeries, with robotic surgery being one of the cornerstones of modern medicine. This technology is distinguished by its superior ability to access delicate and complex areas within the human body with unparalleled precision, exceeding the capabilities of the naked human hand. This reduces side effects, lowers bleeding rates, and directly contributes to shortening the patient's hospital stay and accelerating their return to normal life. This achievement underscores the readiness of the medical city's infrastructure and the competence of its national staff in adapting technology to serve patients.
Achievement details in numbers
The medical city reported that its first robotic surgeries officially commenced on May 19, 2025, followed by a rapid increase in the number of procedures performed. Gynecological oncology surgeries accounted for the largest share, with 52 operations performed since the first procedure on May 26, 2025, thus achieving the fastest launch of robotic surgery in this specialized field in the Middle East.
The achievement was not limited to one specialty, but the expansion included the execution of 23 operations in chest surgeries since May 19, 2025, and 20 operations in urological surgeries since July 1, 2025. The technology also extended to include more complex surgeries, as 3 operations were performed in heart surgeries starting on June 3, 2025, and two cases in colon surgeries since December 15, 2025, within a phased and studied expansion plan to apply robotic surgery across multiple precise specialties.
Supporting the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030
This accelerated performance embodies King Abdullah Medical City’s commitment to its strategy aimed at medical innovation and the localization of advanced technologies, which directly serves the health sector transformation program, one of the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This approach aims to raise the efficiency of specialized services and enhance the Kingdom’s position as an advanced local and regional reference center in the field of healthcare, thus reducing the need for treatment abroad and providing advanced and sustainable healthcare for citizens and residents, as well as for the pilgrims in Makkah.
