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Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital will soon be the only medical center in southwest Georgia performing robotic surgeries.

The Phoebe Board gave the hospital approval to buy a da Vinci Surgical System at Wednesday’s board meeting. The da Vinci is a tool where doctors guide the robotic device to perform surgeries.

“Patients are asking to have their surgery done robotically,” said Phoebe’s Vice President of Surgical Services Maureen Jackson. “We know that patients are leaving the community to have these procedures performed elsewhere, and we want to be able to provide that service here in Albany.”

It will most likely be several months before the purchase, setup, and training of the machine is complete.