The Azores crossed another threshold in the modernization of regional healthcare this week as the Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira (HSEIT), in Angra do Heroísmo, performed the first orthopedic robotic-assisted surgery ever conducted in the archipelago.

The milestone was marked by the presence of José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Governo Regional dos Açores, who described the moment as historic for the Regional Health Service and for the future of specialized medical care in the islands.

“We are inaugurating the possibility of robotic surgery,” Bolieiro stated. “This was a necessity, and today we are celebrating this moment.”

The introduction of robotic orthopedic surgery represents a significant technological advancement for the Azorean healthcare system, positioning the archipelago within a growing international movement toward more precise, minimally invasive, and technologically assisted surgical procedures.

According to the Regional Government, the investment forms part of the Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR), through the component dedicated to the modernization and requalification of the Regional Health Service.

Two orthopedic robotic surgery systems were acquired under the program: one installed at the Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira and another destined for the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES).

The total investment reached approximately €2.35 million, excluding VAT. Of that amount, €1.25 million corresponded to the equipment installed on Terceira Island, while €1.1 million was allocated to the system intended for São Miguel Island.

The robotic surgery initiative forms part of a broader modernization effort underway at the HSEIT. Between 2021 and 2026, investments in equipment for the hospital are expected to total approximately €15 million.

Bolieiro emphasized that the significance of the project extends beyond technology itself, touching both the quality of care available to patients and the attractiveness of the Azorean healthcare system for highly qualified professionals.

“This hospital has magnificent facilities and dedicated professionals,” the regional president stated. “The objective is to increase its level of specialization, expand its capabilities, and also make it more attractive to additional professionals.”

Robotic surgery is currently regarded as one of the most advanced technologies in surgical medicine, enabling greater procedural precision, improved preoperative planning, reduced invasiveness, and faster postoperative recovery.

Regional authorities believe the technology will generate substantial health gains while contributing to lower morbidity rates and improved long-term clinical outcomes.

Specific studies are expected to evaluate both the clinical and operational impact of the new systems, including reductions in hospitalization time, fewer physiotherapy sessions, progressive improvements associated with surgical learning curves, and the generation of objective comparative data regarding patient outcomes.

Officials also highlighted the possibility of reducing indirect social costs linked to extended recovery periods and work absenteeism.

Present during the ceremony were Mónica Seidi, Regional Secretary for Health and Social Security; Paulo Diz, president of the hospital administration board; clinical director Rute Couto; operating room director Lisandra Martins; and operating room coordinator Sandra Pavão.

Following the inauguration within the operating block, officials also visited the hospital’s Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit and later toured the ongoing angiography infrastructure works.

For the Azores, the introduction of robotic surgery carries symbolic significance beyond medicine alone.

Island healthcare systems have historically faced challenges linked to geographic fragmentation, specialist shortages, transportation logistics, and the constant pressure of balancing local treatment capacity against costly medical evacuations to mainland Portugal.

Technological investments such as robotic surgery therefore become not only instruments of medical modernization, but also statements of regional ambition: an effort to ensure that advanced healthcare can increasingly exist within the islands themselves rather than requiring patients to leave them.

In an archipelago shaped by distance, the capacity to bring cutting-edge care closer to home carries profound human meaning.

Translated and adapted from a story in Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros, director –Photos from Presidência do Governo