Millionaire Robert Braithwaite gifts robot to Poole Hospital Published duration 27 October 2015

image caption Robert Braithwaite (left) with Tas Qureshi, the surgeon who treated him

A multi-millionaire was so impressed with the treatment he received as a patient at Poole Hospital that he gifted it a £3.5m surgical robot.

Robert Braithwaite, 72, founder of Sunseeker yachts, bought the da Vinci robot which will be used in advanced keyhole surgery for cancer patients.

He said it was a "pleasure" to pay back the hospital that treated him for bowel cancer earlier in the year.

Tas Qureshi, the surgeon who treated him, called the gift "incredible".

The Dorset Cancer Centre will use the robot, which was developed in California, to treat rectal, gynaecological, head and neck cancers.

Mr Qureshi, consultant colorectal surgeon and lead for laparoscopic keyhole surgery, said the robot's "greater range of movement" would "allow easier access to areas difficult to reach with traditional key hole surgery".

He said it meant better targeting and removal of cancers, and less chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

He added: "I would like to place on record our sincerest gratitude to Robert."

image copyright Poole Hospital image caption The robot will treat rectal, gynaecological, head and neck cancers

Mr Braithwaite offered to make a donation after recovering from surgery to treat his tumour.

When Mr Qureshi said Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust would welcome funds towards the "game-changing" robot, Mr Braithwaite offered to pay for the whole thing, as well as its ongoing maintenance.

He said: "Dorset has played a huge part in my life.

"It has been home to Sunseeker since the early 70s... and I am exceptionally proud and grateful to this hard working team and the Dorset community who have always been very supportive of our ambitions."

Debbie Fleming, chief executive of the trust, said: "We're indebted to Mr Braithwaite for this incredibly generous gift."

The first patients will be treated by the robot later in the year.