A robot trained on videos of surgeries performed a lengthy phase of a gallbladder removal without human help. The robot operated for the first time on a lifelike patient, and during the operation, responded to and learned from voice commands from the team—like a novice surgeon working with a mentor.
The robot performed unflappably across trials and with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real life medical emergencies.
Outside of the US there are pretty stringent rules about what can and cannot be used in the medical profession. Typically it will take at least a decade for a drug to be approved, which is actually a problem in and of itself, but you’re not concerned about that, you’re concerned about technology being used before it’s ready.
As for “devaluing the work of surgeons”, surgeons are overworked as it is, there is nowhere near enough of them. If they don’t have to do simple procedures then they are available to do the more complex surgeries that actually require skill. They’ll be fine. Wealth isn’t really a factor in countries where healthcare isn’t profit motivated.