Ministry of Health Introduces Mixed-Reality Surgical Technology Through Taiwan Partnership

October 28, 2026

The Ministry of Health handed over its first mixed-reality surgical system to the Joseph N. France (J.N.F.) General Hospital on 27 October 2026. The system lets local surgeons see a patient’s anatomy in three dimensions before an operation, and lets specialist surgeons in Taiwan watch and guide procedures as they happen. It is provided at no cost to the Federation.

Dr. Ayoleke Ogunrinde, Consultant Urologist, received the equipment and will lead its first clinical use. The handover was chaired by Mrs. Gardenia Destang-Richardson, Director of Health Institutions, and witnessed by Dr. Jenson Morton, Director of Health Projects and Strategic Initiatives.

How it works

The system, called Anatomy Cloud, turns a patient’s CT and MRI scans into interactive 3D models within minutes.
Wearing a Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset, the surgeon can view and turn the model and lay it over the patient, to see organs, vessels and abnormalities before surgery begins.
Through the headset’s cameras, partner surgeons in Taiwan can follow a procedure live and talk directly with the operating surgeon.
The system can also link J.N.F. General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital in Nevis, so surgeons on both islands can consult each other in real time.

Patient privacy

Scans can be fully anonymised before upload.
Each hospital decides whether its data may be used to develop the system further.
Written patient consent will be obtained before any procedure is shared live with partner surgeons.

The partnership

The project comes from the Smart Healthcare Memorandum of Understanding signed with Taiwan on 4 December 2025. The partners are IntelliGen Technology Co., Ltd. of Taipei, which developed the system, and Taipei Veterans General Hospital and MacKay Memorial Hospital, whose surgeons provide the clinical training and guidance. The Embassy of St. Kitts and Nevis in Taiwan coordinated the partnership.

The equipment reached St. Kitts in June 2026. Miss Huella Edgings, a radiographer at J.N.F. General Hospital, was presented with the package in Taiwan during a diagnostic imaging workshop and brought it home. Staff of both hospitals took part in online training sessions with their Taiwanese counterparts during the summer.

The package is free of charge. It covers the headsets, access to the software, all training, and ongoing clinical consultation with the Taiwanese specialists. Alexandra Hospital takes part in its own right, with its own surgical lead and digital health lead. Belize and St. Vincent and the Grenadines already take part in the same partnership with Taiwan.

Who will use it

Urology will use the system first, under Dr. Ogunrinde. Use will then widen to every surgical specialty in the public health system in St. Kitts:

Urology (one consultant urologist)
General surgery (two surgeons)
Orthopaedic surgery (two surgeons)
Obstetrics and gynaecology (three specialists)
Ophthalmology (two specialists)
Ear, nose and throat surgery (one surgeon)
Vascular surgery (one surgeon)

The three anaesthesiologists and two radiologists who support surgery in St. Kitts will also benefit, as will the surgical team at Alexandra Hospital. The radiologists produce the CT and MRI studies the system turns into 3D models.

What the Ministry’s officials said

Dr. Ogunrinde thanked the Taiwanese team and said the system will help the hospital work more efficiently, especially in radiology and surgery.
Dr. Morton said local surgeons will be able to take on more complex cases at home with specialists supporting them digitally, so some patients who once had to travel overseas may be treated in the Federation.
Mrs. Destang-Richardson said the technology gives J.N.F. surgical teams access to expertise from abroad without leaving the Federation.

Part of the National Digital Health Information System

The mixed-reality system is part of the Ministry’s programme to digitise healthcare on both islands. The programme also includes:

Electronic health records: a Health Information System linking hospitals and health centres, being rolled out with the St. Kitts Nevis Robotics Association. Staff training is under way.
A health fibre network: a high-speed link between public health facilities for patient records and imaging.
A Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS): a digital platform for storing and sharing X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds, being developed with technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Through PACS, Taipei Veterans General Hospital has agreed to help with remote reading of diagnostic images, Rutgers University Hospital in New Jersey will support emergency imaging, and partner hospitals in Germany have responded positively to giving second opinions on radiology studies. The Ministry says a second independent review of images supports its aim of meeting international hospital accreditation standards.

Next steps

The Ministry will resume structured training with the Taiwanese surgical team for surgical and support staff at both hospitals, and will work with its partners on any future expansion of the service.

Contact the Ministry of Health
Bladen’s Commercial Development, Wellington Road, Basseterre
Tel: (869) 467-1085
Email: mohadmin@gov.kn

Source: Ministry of Health, St. Kitts and Nevis, press release dated 27 October 2026, with its summary graphic.