Robotic surgeries in state hospitals ‘soon’

ISLAMABAD:

Robotic arms performing surgery is no longer science fiction for public hospitals in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr Asif Zafar Malik, president of Society of Surgeons Pakistan, Rawalpindi and Islamabad chapter, said on Saturday that robotic surgery will soon be introduced in public hospitals to perform advanced operations.

He was talking to The Express Tribune after the inaugural ceremony of a two-day annual International Surgical Conference “SURGICON 2012”, organised by the society of surgeons at a local hotel. The conference provides a platform to local and foreign surgeons for sharing the latest advances and novel procedures introduced in surgery.

Dr Malik, head of the department of surgery at Rawalpindi Medical College and its allied hospitals, one of the organisers, said the robotic surgeries will be considerably less invasive than standard operations, because the instruments can be inserted in the body through much smaller incisions.



The surgeon attaches surgical instruments to a robot and performs surgery by controlling it from a computer, explained. A robotic arm is easier for the surgeon to use in surgeries such as endoscopy, he explained. Robotic instruments can access hard-to-reach places in a patient’s body through minor surgical cuts as compared to traditional open and laparoscopic surgery. Moreover, the surgeon can perform surgery from anywhere through telemedicine, he added.

A minimally invasive surgery laboratory has been established at Holy Family Hospital where surgeons are taught about the latest laparoscopic techniques, which has broadened their vision, he added.

According to Dr Naeem Zia, RMC Associate Professor of Surgery, it is estimated that at present there is one surgeon for 10,000 people. Various surgeries cannot be carried out in Pakistan due to the shortage of specialist surgeons and patients have to be referred abroad, which is unaffordable for many. For instance, a large number of patients in Pakistan need endovascular surgery but there are only 30 to 40 surgeons who can perform this procedure, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2012.