Innovation in medicine: Robotic surgery less painful, says health secretary

45-year-old woman undergoes surgery at Orangi's Qatar hospital.

KARACHI: Robotic surgeries are less painful and their recovery time is far better as compared to manual surgeries, said health secretary Iftikhar Ahmed Shalwani.

The health secretary visited Sindh Government Qatar Hospital in Orangi Town to Sunday morning to observe a robotic surgery of a 45-year-old woman, Shehr Bano. She was getting the robotic procedure for her gallbladder and the surgery was supervised by Dr Fateh Malik.



The invention of robotic surgery is a revolution in the field of surgery as it has less bleeding and stitches, Shalwani pointed out. "It is very commendable that robotic surgeries are being performed regularly at Qatar hospital since its installation," he added. The medical superintendent of Qatar hospital, Dr Syed Khalid Masood, informed the secretary that a robotic surgery costs anywhere between Rs200,000 and Rs250,000 per patient. Therefore, he added, it is only used for patients severely in need of this procedure. Separate funds are required for accessories and maintenance of this machine, he added.

Dr Masood said that there was shortage of specialists and nursing staff at the hospital. Around 3,500 patients visit the health facility every day, he added. The secretary was also informed that around 750 dialysis are being performed free of charge every month while the hospital provides the medicines without charging a single penny. Shalwani assured the hospital management their issues will be resolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2015.