Achieving global equitable access to robotic surgery

There are proven benefits accompanying robotic surgery for patients, surgeons, communities, and health systems. At the same time, there have been challenges in expanding its use in global, rural, and low-resource settings. These challenges include inequitable access to technology, disparities in surgical education and training, economic challenges, and structural or systemic barriers. In this paper, we examine these disparities and discuss innovative ways in which these obstacles can be tackled in order to ensure broader global access to robotic surgery. These include collaboration with government, industry, and health system leadership to create multi-partner and multidisciplinary implementation models, accounting for country-specific variables such as health policies, financing models, availability of surgically trained workforce, and training models. The introduction of lower-cost platforms, expanded access to current platforms, and healthcare policies and financial models prioritizing access to safe, affordable surgical care are necessary.