A new robot is giving surgeons in central Alberta not one but four helping hands. The da Vinci surgical system began operating at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre in May, Alberta Health Services (AHS) said in a Thursday media release. AHS said the robotic system gives surgeons better visualization, precision and control to support “minimally” invasive procedures; those procedures, AHS added, result in less pain after surgery and shorter hospital stays for patients. As of Thursday, it had been used by four surgeons to complete 80 robotic-assisted surgeries, with kidney and prostate procedures being the most common. The robot was bought with a $3.5-million from the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. “This investment is about much more than technology — it’s about improving the patient experience and expanding access to high-quality care closer to home,” said foundation chief executive officer Manon Therriault. AHS said more surgeons at the Red Deer hospital centre are training with the technology. There are seven robotic-assisted systems currently in use in Alberta, AHS said, and 16,725 robotic-assisted surgeries have been performed between 2009 and 2025.
