ULS São José performs first pediatric robotic surgery in Portugal
The high cost remains the main obstacle to the increase in the use of surgical robots in the National Health Service.
A Robotic surgery is gaining traction In Portugal, especially in the National Health Service (NHS), with an increasing number of hospitals to integrate this state -of -the -art technology. Since the beginning of 2024, hospital units in cities such as Braga, Lisbon, Porto, Guimarães and Funchal have been using surgical robots, in a transformation driven mainly by financing the Plan of Recovery and Resilience (PRR).
Vinci’s system, the world leader in robotic surgery, is the most present in the country, having been the number of units duplicated In operation between 2023 and 2024, from eight to 16. Two thirds of these robots are already at the service of the NHS, reports the.
A Urology leads adoption From robotic surgery, especially radical prostatectomy due to the accuracy of procedures and the significant reduction of side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Improving visualization and moving stability allows you to preserve sensitive structures, such as nerves and blood vessels, more effectively.
The high cost remains the main obstacle to the massification of technology. Each robot can cost up to 1.9 million eurosvalue that includes the equipment, consumables and maintenance. However, the PRR has played a crucial role in financing the acquisition of these systems by various public units, such as Porto IPO, the local health unit of Amadora/Sintra and hospitals in the Algarve.
Despite the recent expansion, Portugal is still recovering ground compared to neighboring countries, such as Spain. In 2024, there were only 16 Vinci robots in Portugal, against 160 in operation on Spanish soil. The concentration of equipment in the large cities of the coast also raises concerns about Equity in access.
Experts such as Emanuel Carvalho Dias, from Braga Hospital, and Margarida Martinho, from São João Hospital, agree that this technology is here to stay. Estimate that, within a decade, surgeries such as prostate removal, bladder and part of the kidney are performed exclusively using robotic surgery in Portugal.
