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.”