Hong Kong must widen surgical robotics access: FS

Financial Secretary Paul Chan has urged the surgical robotics industry to move beyond proving technical precision and focus on widening access to care, as Hong Kong seeks to become a global hub for medical-device innovation. Speaking at the inaugural Surgical Futures Forum organised by Hong Kong-based surgical robotics company Cornerstone Robotics, Chan said the field had spent 25 years proving its technical capability. The next task, he said, was to broaden access so more surgeons could use robotic systems and more patients could benefit. "Design and cost remain major barriers. Today's mainstream systems are built for the best-resourced hospitals. Their price, their footprint and their training requirements limit where they can be installed and how widely they can be used," he said. "That helps explain why global penetration remains below five percent. If we believe innovation should serve humanity, progress in surgical robotics must mean more than better technology — it must mean reaching more patients because behind these barriers are countless people still waiting to benefit." Chan said the clearest sign of momentum came in September, when global medtech company Medtronic announced a strategic investment of about US$700 million in Cornerstone Robotics and secured distribution rights for Cornerstone’s surgical system in selected international...