Pakistan has crossed an international telesurgery milestone for the first time. A gynecological operation on a patient was successfully performed through telerobotic surgery at Lyari General Hospital in Karachi.
Doctors based in Kuwait carried out the surgery from a distance of approximately 1,600 kilometers. During the procedure, internet speed of 30 megabytes per second was used, while a gap of only 30 microseconds was recorded between the surgeon’s command and the robot’s response.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said that she had inaugurated modern medical facilities at Lyari General Hospital, where all standard facilities are available. These include a mortuary, forensic section, microbiology, biochemistry, and pathology laboratories equipped with modern technology.
In addition, a laboratory was also inaugurated where medical students will be provided hands on training through mannequins. She said that on the same occasion, Pakistan’s first international telerobotic surgery was also performed at Lyari General Hospital, in which doctors from Kuwait and Karachi jointly carried out a successful operation on a patient undergoing treatment at the hospital. International doctors were guiding Pakistani doctors, and the surgery was completed under their supervision.
According to the Sindh health minister, robotic surgery does not require a large incision in the abdomen; instead, a camera and instruments are inserted into the body through small openings. Through this advanced system, tumor surgeries, gynecological procedures, kidney surgeries, and gastrointestinal surgeries are also possible. She added that the government is making efforts to provide better facilities in every public hospital, and improvements are now clearly visible.
A hospital in Karachi serves the entire city, while Lyari General Hospital was specifically established to provide quality healthcare facilities to underdeveloped areas.
