Illustration photo. Some 15 surgeons are trained to use surgery assistance robots in Luxembourg Shutterstock

Illustration photo. Some 15 surgeons are trained to use surgery assistance robots in Luxembourg Shutterstock

Responding to a parliamentary question from MP Josée Lorsché (déi Gréng), health minister Etienne Schneider (LSAP) explained that the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg and Hôpital Robert Schuman hospitals were equipped with surgery robots, used for urology, orthopaedics, gynaecology and visceral surgery.

The first robot-assisted operations were carried out in 2013 for urology operations of which there are some 150 per year. In 2016, the first visceral and orthopaedic interventions began, with 300 and 395 completed to date, respectively.

Some 15 surgeons are already trained to operate this new technology while an additional two are in training. The costs borne by the public remain the same for robot-assisted surgery as for manual surgery.