Hospital plans free robotic surgery training for doctors.
The robot has a simulator and training console that can be used to train doctors. Photo: Courtesy
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The robot has a simulator and training console that can be used to train doctors. Photo: Courtesy
Square Hospital has launched robotic surgery services, completing eight procedures in the first two days after formally introducing the service today (26 September) to mark the 101st birth anniversary of its founder, Samson H Chowdhury.
The hospital is using the MicroPort Toumai Robotic Surgical System.
Md Esam Ebne Yousuf Siddique, chief operating officer of Square Hospital, told The Business Standard yesterday evening that the hospital had brought in the robotic system about six months ago but received government approval last month.
“We were waiting to formally launch it on our founder Samson H Chowdhury’s birthday. Five robotic surgeries were completed on Friday, the opening day, and another three the following day. More patients are now being prepared for surgery,” he said.
The procedures included urological, kidney and prostate surgeries, hernia operations, general surgery, gynaecology and gynaecologic oncology, Siddique said.
The patients are recovering well, he added.
He said a team of surgeons trained abroad was already in place and the hospital would continue robotic surgeries regularly.
On the cost, Siddique said a surgical robot costs more than Tk20 crore, but the hospital did not see the service as a profit-making project.
“Our goal is to make it accessible. We are trying to offer robotic surgery at around the same cost range as laparoscopic surgery for patients who can afford that,” he said.
Benefits of robotic surgery
The hospital says the system provides surgeons with a magnified three-dimensional view of the surgical field, while its robotic instruments allow a wider range of movement.
It also claims the image can be magnified up to 40 times, helping improve precision in complex procedures such as cancer surgery.
“The robot can show the surgical area much more clearly than what a surgeon can see with the naked eye. This allows the necessary tissue to be removed more precisely,” Siddique said.
He said robotic surgery is performed through small incisions, which can reduce hospital stays and the risk of infection.
Several patients who underwent surgery on the opening day were expected to be discharged yesterday, he added.
Free training for doctors
The robot also has a simulator and training console that can be used to train doctors from hospitals across the country in robotic surgery, Siddique said.
“We will provide this training free of charge so that Bangladeshi doctors can learn robotic surgery. This is an academic initiative outside our commercial activities,” he said.
The system also has remote-surgery capabilities, which could allow specialist surgeons in countries such as the US, UK or India to take part in procedures remotely through an internet connection, he added.
United Healthcare in Dhaka introduced robotic surgery in Bangladesh on 31 August, when two patients underwent robot-assisted procedures.
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