Rabat: Performed at two leading institutions, the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital (HMIMV) in Rabat and the 20 August Hospital, under the Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca-this remarkable surgical achievement highlights the national momentum in medical innovation and the Kingdom’s commitment to placing health, research, and technology at the core of human development.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this innovative technique involves inserting electrodes directly into the inner ear to stimulate the auditory nerve, bypassing the damaged parts of the cochlea. With the assistance of the surgical robot, every movement is guided, calibrated, and secured, ensuring millimetric precision, better protection of internal structures, and optimal hearing recovery.

HMIMV in Rabat has emerged as a national and continental pioneer in cochlear implant surgery. “Thanks to the enlightened vision of His Majesty the King, May God Assist Him, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed
Forces, aimed at developing and encouraging innovation in health sciences, and following the coordination between the Military Health Service and the Lalla Asmaa Foundation for the deaf and hard of hearing, the ENT department of HMIMV organizes a day of robot-assisted cochlear implant surgeries,” emphasized Brigadier General, Fouad Benariba, Head of the Cephalic Region Surgery Department at HMIMV.

Cochlear implant procedures are intended for adults with severe or profound hearing loss who no longer benefit from conventional hearing aids, as well as for children under the age of five with congenital profound deafness. Brigadier General Benariba noted that this technological breakthrough enables extreme precision in execution, with a constant speed of 0.1 mm/s and a level of stability beyond the reach of the human hand.

The use of this robotic system helps reduce pressure inside the cochlea and thus limits damage to the inner cells, which contributes to preserving residual hearing and offers better speech per
ception. In the longer term, ongoing research in the field of genetics raises hopes that preserving these cells will eventually make it possible to introduce gene therapies, paving the way for hearing restoration in patients.

Since 2010, the cochlear implantation program of the Military Health Service has enabled several hundred patients, both adults and children, to regain their ability to hear and communicate. This new robotic milestone is a continuation of that ambitious program and reaffirms the position of Rabat’s HMIMV as a leading reference center at both the national and continental levels. The institution also plays a key role in training young ENT surgeons from Morocco and several brotherly and friendly African countries, helping to disseminate this medical and technological expertise on a regional scale.

In the same context, the ENT and Cervicofacial Surgery Department of the 20 August Hospital in Casablanca performed similar procedures during the Week of Otology and Auditory Innovation. Organize
d in partnership with the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, this event focused on several themes, including robot-assisted hearing implants and next-generation otology, featuring live-streamed surgeries and lectures by international experts.

On this occasion, the director of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital, professor Hicham Afif, said that this scientific event provides an opportunity for the University Hospital’s teams to exchange best practices with internationally renowned specialists, notably from Saudi Arabia, Germany, and France. He added that it will help strengthen their capacities in caring for deaf and hard of hearing patients. Similarly, the head of the ENT Department at the 20 August Hospital, professor Mohammed Mahtar, noted that robotic surgery improves the effectiveness of implants and contributes to the development of learning and language skills in both children and adults.

Thanks to this technological breakthrough, Morocco reaffirms its commitment to establishing a medicine of excellence, both nat
ionally and with an open approach towards Africa.