Call for programmes to teach key-hole surgery in Pakistan

Prominent surgeons and health experts have urged the government, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) and major medical educational institutions to start a structured programme for the training of Laparoscopic or Minimally Invasive Surgeries (MIS), which have replaced the open or traditional surgeries across the world.

Also known as key-hole surgery, Laparoscopic or Minimally Invasive Surgery is a technique during which small incisions or cuts are made in the body and a laparoscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted through one opening to guide the surgery.

Explaining the Laparoscopic surgery, experts said tiny surgical instruments are inserted through other openings to do the surgery and added that minimally invasive surgery may cause less pain, scarring and damage to healthy tissue, and the patient may have a faster recovery than with traditional surgery. As compared to open or traditional surgery, it is less painful, with reduced blood loss and having lesser chances of infection, allowing patients to get healed early and back to their normal life.

Surgeons expressed these views while speaking at the 6th Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Conference and Multidisciplinary Robotic workshop that commenced at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on Thursday.

Professors and experts of surgery expressed the hope that the establishment of increased number of Specialist Robotic Centres in the country will play an important role in bringing the cost effectiveness factor of this expensive surgery.

SIUT Director Prof Adib Rizvi opened the proceedings of the workshop, which is the first of its kind in the country exclusively discussing the impact, benefits and future of robotic procedures in the field of surgery. The three important fields of medical sciences including urology, general surgery and gynaecology have been selected for discussion.

Eminent experts from within the country and abroad are taking part in this workshop which has worked out live robotic surgeries from operation theatres, discussion on the state-of-the-art technology, followed by panel discussions and case presentations.

In the panel discussion of the opening session, Prof Shamim Khan from King’s College London highlighted the aims and objectives of the workshop while Dr Amjad Siraj Memon, Dr Fouzia Parveen from Civil Hospital and Dr Altaf Hashmi of SIUT introduced the three specialties which they represented.

The surgeons were of the view that robotic surgery like any other cutting edge technology may be an expensive endeavour but assessing the question they pointed out that one has to strike a balance.

They also underscored the need of patients’ acceptance as a paramount factor in the application of robotic surgery. They said there are few main areas which include length of stay in hospital and post-surgical complications rates which need to be accounted. They however said robotic surgery stands very high on all the parameters keeping in view the benefits to the patient.

In the afternoon session, Dr Sajida Qureshi, a surgeon from Civil Hospital, dealt with the topic of prevailing situation of robotic surgery in Pakistan while Dr Amjad Pervez Cheema from Britain gave an update on robotic general surgery. The workshop will continue on Friday and Saturday.