HOMS performs the country’s first robot-assisted total gastrectomy

• The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS) has performed the first robot-assisted total gastrectomy in the Dominican Republic to treat gastric cancer.

Dr Rafael Sánchez Español, general director and president of the Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago, is widely recognised as a pioneer of robotic surgery in the Dominican Republic. In 2013 he carried out the first robotic surgery procedure in the country, an achievement that marked a landmark moment in Dominican medicine.
Santiago – The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS) has marked a milestone in medicine in the Dominican Republic by performing the first robot-assisted total gastrectomy for gastric cancer. This achievement is testimony to the hospital’s commitment to innovation and advanced technology in the medical field.

The procedure was carried out on Wednesday 5 March by a multidisciplinary team of surgeons headed by Dr Héctor Sánchez Navarro, deputy general director of HOMS and head of Robotic Surgery at the institution. He was joined by Dr David Rodríguez, oncological surgeon, and Dr James Hamilton Sánchez, collaborator and adviser in technological and robotic surgery at the hospital.

The patient, a man with type 1 obesity, a history of diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, as well as a history of chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux, was diagnosed with a neoplastic lesion in the stomach after a thorough digestive study carried out at the Centre for Digestive Studies (CED) at HOMS. After the diagnosis, the Oncological Surgery team, in collaboration with the Robotic Surgery team, successfully carried out the procedure.

“This advance marks a new era in surgery in the country, positioning HOMS as a leader in robotic surgery and in the treatment of digestive cancers. The HOMS Robotic Surgery Centre has finally opened its oncological surgery service, offering patients the possibility of accessing minimally invasive procedures with quick recovery, especially in the treatment of cancer”, says Dr Sánchez Navarro.

The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago is the first medical centre in the country to have robotic surgery, establishing itself as a benchmark in technological medicine and health tourism. As a member of the Dominican Health Tourism Association, HOMS continues to broaden its strategy to offer highly differentiated medical services, for both national and international patients, guaranteeing optimal clinical progress and better long-term results.

This hospital, internationally accredited by Canada Accreditation, remains committed to its mission of providing the Dominican people with the best medicine possible, using the most advanced technology and the experience of its medical team.

About HOMS  

HOMS is a pioneer in the Dominican Republic in robotic surgery and holds international Accreditation Canada (ACI) certification as a guarantee of safety and quality of care, positioning itself as a leader in health tourism in the north of the country.