Safdarjung Hospital offers live telecast of laparoscopy surgeries

In a first, the national capital's Safdarjung Hospital has now started a new website which offers live telecast of surgeries across the globe being conducted by the Urology Department, said the authorities.

"This is the first time a government hospital has come up with the concept. Through an inbuilt system, a website link has been created which can be used by anyone from the medical field be it student or doctors and can learn how the surgeries are conducted," Dr Anup Kumar, Doctor and Professor in the Urology Department, Safdarjung Hospital told IANS.

Dr Kumar, who is also an expert in robotic surgery, claimed that the motive of coming up with the website was to provide free of cost training of '3D laparoscopy' -- a technology that helps to perform treatment with greater speed and accuracy to other medical experts and students especially those practicing in the tier II and tier III cities.

"Many of the urologists are not exposed to higher standard of training. Apart the premier medical institutes like AIIMS or Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh the government hospitals don't have well trained laparoscopy surgeons," Anup Kumar noted.

Dr Kumar also pointed that ever since the website has been launched, it has helped to connect many doctors across the globe, especially urologists from US and Europe who have approached the hospital authorities seeking collaborations as well.

While earlier Safdarjung was implementing 2D technology for conducting surgeries, Dr Kumar mentioned that the latest technology has helped to increase number of surgeries.

"With shifting to 3D laparoscopy technology we are now conducting around 4-5 surgeries per day which was previously two or three. The 3D technology allows a better vision, the surgeries are more precise, takes less time and less chances of blood loss," he added.

Another benefit of the 3D technology, Dr Kumar stated is that it helps to soothe after the surgery which is usually the most difficult part in any laparoscopy.

The Urology department also will be introducing robotic operations to fasten the number of surgeries more.

According to Dr Kumar, the robotic surgical procedure reduces the duration of the operation and the chances of risk of error as a surgeon only has to manoeuvre the robotic arms using a command centre with a 3D screen that looks like a computer.

He also claimed that Safdarjung Hospital is the only government-run hospital which conducts robotic surgeries including kidney transplant.

"The cost of establishment of robotic surgery procedures is very tough. There are private hospitals which conduct robotic surgeries and the cost is about Rs 4-5 lakh, while here at Safdarjung a patient below poverty line gets it done without any payment while those admitted in private wards will have to pay a subsidised amount," Dr Kumar said.

(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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