Pioneering Precision: St. Luke's Medical Center Leads Robotic Surgery in the Philippines and Southeast Asia
St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) has performed more robotic-assisted surgeries than any other hospital in the Philippines, completing more than 3,000 procedures to date. As St. Luke's marks its 123rd founding anniversary, the institution's record of surgical innovation stands alongside its accreditations and global rankings as a defining measure of its leadership. Over the past fifteen years, St. Luke's surgical teams have repeatedly introduced robotic-assisted procedures to the Philippines and, in two landmark cases, to Southeast Asia.
The Philippines' Most Advanced Robotic Surgery Platform
St. Luke's Medical Center is the first hospital in the Philippines to acquire the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System, installed in January 2024 at both the Quezon City and Global City campuses. The Da Vinci Xi is a more advanced multiport robotic platform offering improved agility, superior visualization, and enhanced surgeon control, resulting in smaller incisions, less scarring, and faster patient recovery. By May 2024, the new system had already been used in the hospital's 1,898th robotic-assisted surgery.
Robotic Surgery Firsts: A Chronological Timeline
From its inaugural robotic-assisted procedure in 2010 to its latest breakthroughs, St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) has established a record of clinical firsts. The program’s growth has been steady and measurable—advancing from roughly 500 completed procedures in 2016 to 1,000 by 2019, and surpassing 2,500 by 2025. This trajectory confirms SLMC as the highest-volume robotic surgery provider in the Philippines.
Twice during this span, St. Luke's innovations achieved historic regional significance: the 2023 robotic kidney transplant and the 2024 robotic cardiac surgery program marked landmark firsts not only for the Philippines, but for Southeast Asia as a whole. These advancements position St. Luke's as a primary reference center for advanced robotic care across the region.
The timeline below details this progression from the program's founding procedure to its recent breakthroughs:
| Year | Procedure / Milestone | Distinction | Lead Robotic Surgeon/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Acquisition of the 3rd-Generation Da Vinci Si Robotic Surgical System | First in the Philippines | Institutional milestone |
| 2010 | Robotic-Assisted Nissen Fundoplication | First in the Philippines | Dr. Narciso S. Navarro, Jr. |
| 2011 | Robotic-Assisted Thyroidectomy | First in the Philippines | Dr. Jeffrey Jeronimo P. Domino |
| 2013 | Robotic-Assisted Esophagectomy | First in the Philippines | Dr. Narciso S. Navarro, Jr. |
| 2016 | Robotic-Assisted Tonsillectomy | First in the Philippines | Dr. William Lim Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, Jr. Dr. Keith Romero A. Aguilera |
| 2016 | Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery | First in the Philippines | Dr. Edmund Villaroman Dr. Karlos Aleta, Dr. Mariam Delima |
| 2023 | Robotic-Assisted Kidney Transplant | First in the Philippines and Southeast Asia | Dr. Dennis P. Serrano Dr. Ronald Anthony S. Faller Dr. Caesar E. Casanova, Jr. Dr. Ma. Amornetta Jovita P. Jordan-Casupang Dr. Martin Anthony A. Villa |
| 2024 | Robotic-Assisted Cardiac Surgery | First in Southeast Asia and the Philippines | Dr. Ramiro Thadeus P. Pablo Dr. Marvin D. Martinez |
| 2025 | Robotic-Assisted Ureteral Reimplantation in a pediatric patient | First in the Philippines | Multi-specialty pediatric team |
Surpassing the 3,000-Procedure Milestone
With more than 3,000 robotic-assisted procedures performed, St. Luke’s Medical Center demonstrates extensive experience in advanced robotic surgery in the Philippines. Its console surgeons have performed procedures across general and gastrointestinal surgery, urology, gynecology and gynecologic oncology, bariatric surgery, breast surgery, and head and neck surgery, including complex procedures such as hepatectomy, colorectal resections, radical cystectomy with neobladder creation, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mastectomy with reconstruction, and transoral robotic tonsillectomy. Driven by top-tier console surgeons across this range of disciplines, the institution remains at the forefront of advanced, minimally invasive care.
World-Class Standards & Continuous Training
St. Luke's robotic surgery program operates under stringent accreditation standards. The institution continuously hones its surgical teams through its Advanced Surgical Training and Simulation Laboratory (ASTSL) and Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Center (MIRSC)—the first multi-specialty training hub in the country equipped with advanced virtual simulators.
Consultation & Contact Information
To schedule a consultation or inquire about robotic surgical options, please contact the St. Luke’s Product Information Hub: 0947-9930471 | 0998-5822276 | 0939-9161805 | 0928-5200239 or email productinfo@stlukes.com.ph.
