Bali International Hospital Performs First Robotic Surgery in Eastern Indonesia

Bali International Hospital (BIH) has become the first hospital in eastern Indonesia to successfully perform surgery using robotic technology. President Director and CEO of Bali International Hospital, Noel Yeo, stated that the successful robotic surgery represents a significant milestone for the recently opened BIH. “Yesterday, 29 June, Doctor Mulyawan successfully led the first robotic-assisted cholecystectomy, which is the removal of the gallbladder, in Bali and eastern Indonesia,” said Noel during a press conference at Bali International Hospital, Sanur, Denpasar, on Tuesday (30/6/2026). Furthermore, on the same day, Professor Iswanto Sucandy, a digestive surgeon at BIH who also practises in the United States, together with the BIH team, successfully performed a combination procedure with robotic assistance for the first time, involving two operations. The first was the removal of an adrenal tumour and the second was a cholecystectomy. “He performed two robotic surgeries at once, which has never been done before in Indonesia. That is why this is a very important historical milestone,” Noel stated. General Surgery Specialist and Digestive Consultant at BIH, I Made Mulyawan, shared his experience of performing surgery using robotic technology. He noted a difference in the level of precision. Furthermore, the use of robotics minimises cutting and requires fewer incisions. “This means minimally invasive surgery, the predecessor of which was laparoscopic surgery. Now, the most current is more advanced technology, robotic surgery,” Mulyawan explained. Nonetheless, he said the surgical process depends on the skill of the doctor. The tool will be used wisely if operated by a wise and skilled doctor. Mulyawan added that robotic surgical technology is not yet evenly distributed across hospitals in Indonesia. However, this can be addressed through training, education, and mentoring. “So that we can improve the quality of surgery with advanced tools in the future. But whatever the principle, whatever the high-value technology, the goal is for it to be beneficial to society,” he said.