Speaking at the inaugural Surgical Futures Forum organised by Hong Kong-based surgical robotics company Cornerstone Robotics, Chan said the field had spent 25 years proving its technical capability.
The next task, he said, was to broaden access so more surgeons could use robotic systems and more patients could benefit.
“Design and cost remain major barriers. Today’s mainstream systems are built for the best-resourced hospitals. Their price, their footprint and their training requirements limit where they can be installed and how widely they can be used,” he said.
“That helps explain why global penetration remains below five percent. If we believe innovation should serve humanity, progress in surgical robotics must mean more than better technology — it must mean reaching more patients because behind these barriers are countless people still waiting to benefit.”
Chan said the clearest sign of momentum came in September, when global medtech company Medtronic announced a strategic investment of about US$700 million in Cornerstone Robotics and secured distribution rights for Cornerstone’s surgical system in selected international markets.
He described the commitment from a global medical-technology leader as a powerful endorsement of Hong Kong’s innovation sector.
“This partnership shows that technology developed here can earn the confidence of industry leaders and, through collaboration, reach international markets,” he said, calling it a milestone for both companies and another example of Hong Kong innovation going global.
The finance chief also cited a Hong Kong-developed robotic platform now installed at a leading surgical training centre in Strasbourg, France, as evidence that the city’s medtech sector is ready to train surgeons from around the world.
Beyond individual companies, he pitched Hong Kong as an end-to-end support system for medical-device innovation, spanning long-term patient capital, biotech fundraising, regulation, clinical data and cross-boundary trials.