A campaign to revolutionise cancer treatment in the north-east has been boosted by a £75,000 donation from a prominent Aberdeen firm.
Aberdeen Asset Management has pledged the money to the UCAN campaign to buy robotically-assisted equipment (RASS) for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The news comes just weeks after Alex Neil, the country’s health secretary, announced a £1 million investment from the Scottish Government to purchase the technology to benefit patients in the area.
RASS enables keyhole surgery to be carried out to a standard not possible with “traditional” methods.
The technology is widely used across Europe and the USA with 40 systems in place in England, but is not currently available in Scotland.
The system mimics a human hand and is controlled remotely by the surgeon, who sits a few feet away and watches greatly magnified 3D high-definition video images of the operation on a screen.
This is particularly beneficial for patients suffering from urological cancers – prostate, bowel and bladder – as well as gynaecological cancers and non-malignant conditions.
The new surgery means patients are in less pain and discomfort after surgery and also spend less time in hospital recovering.
There is also less bleeding as a result of surgery and less scarring because there are fewer incisions.
Professor Sam McClinton, UCAN chairman and consultant urological surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, said: “We are extremely grateful to Martin Gilbert and the team at Aberdeen Asset Management for their generous support for the campaign to bring robotic surgery to the city.
“Aberdeen Asset Management can be assured that its support is a step closer to ensure that everyone in the North of Scotland who requires a specialised operation in the future will benefit from the very latest surgical technology.”
Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, added: “Aberdeen Asset Management is proud to support such a deserving charity as UCAN towards the purchase of this robotic-assisted surgical equipment.”