Minister Gemma Arias-Vasquez has welcomed the international media coverage following confirmation that the Gibraltar Health Authority has successfully undertaken its first telesurgery procedure in collaboration with a specialist provider in London. 

A statement from the Government follows below:

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, has welcomed the  extensive international media coverage following confirmation that the Gibraltar Health Authority  has successfully undertaken its first telesurgery procedure in collaboration with a specialist  provider in London. 

As announced in Parliament recently, the procedure involved the operating surgeon being based in  the United Kingdom while the patient remained in Gibraltar, with the operation carried out safely  and effectively through the GHA’s robotic surgical platform and secure clinical connectivity  systems. 

The procedure marks the first time that surgery of this kind has been carried out with the surgeon  in the United Kingdom and the patient in Gibraltar. 

The distance between London and Gibraltar, approximately 2,400 kilometres, is the furthest  distance over which remote telesurgery has been successfully carried out in Europe to date. 

Since the procedure became public, it has attracted widespread coverage across major UK and  international media outlets, including television, radio, print and digital platforms. 

Coverage has included the BBC, Sky News, ITV, GB News and major UK newspapers and  international digital media, reflecting the significance of the achievement and the growing interest  in how advanced surgical technology can support new models of healthcare delivery across  distance. 

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “The level of  international coverage this has generated reflects the fact that what has been achieved is genuinely  significant, not only for Gibraltar but in the wider context of modern healthcare delivery. 

“It demonstrates that Gibraltar is capable of being part of major clinical innovation, supported by  highly capable local teams at the GHA and strong partnerships with leading centres. 

“Most importantly, of course, this is about what it means for patients. It shows that distance is  increasingly less of a barrier to accessing specialist expertise and that Gibraltar can continue to  position itself at the forefront of new models of care. 

“I am very proud of everyone at the GHA who has made this possible and who have, once again, put  Gibraltar on the map.”