Lahore, Punjab: King Edward Medical University (KEMU) has submitted a project proposal (PC-I) to the Punjab Health Department to introduce robotic surgery at Mayo Hospital.

This initiative aims to establish Mayo Hospital as the first public sector Medical teaching institute in Punjab to offer this state-of-the-art treatment option, which would significantly increase the success rate to 100%, for the patients.

Previously, the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi utilized this technology, performing over 1,500 urology-related robotic surgeries since 2012.

A Punjab Government official familiar with the project reported that this endeavor is part of the recent reforms initiated by the Maryam Nawaz-led Pubjab Government to modernize public sector Medical Institutions of the province.

The extraordinary transition to robotic surgery marks a significant advancement in medical practice, offering patients a minimally invasive alternative to conventional procedures. In recent years, private healthcare facilities in Lahore alone have conducted over 450 robotic surgeries with a 100% success rate.

This initiative helps to provide high-precision, cost-effective procedures within the public health sector. The introduction of highly advanced robotic equipment, such as the CMR Surgical Robotic System, in the private health sector has significantly expanded the scope of procedures that can be performed.

KEMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mahmood Ayyaz, and his team have played a significant role in advancing this project. Their expertise, in bringing this robotic innovation public medical domain, got widespread acclaim, attracting patients not only from Pakistan, but also from Afghanistan, and other neighboring countries.

The Mayo Hospital project aims to offer robotic surgeries across multiple medical specialties, including general surgery, urology, and gynecology, distinguishing it from SIUT, which focuses solely on urology. Planned surgeries include those involving the gallbladder, intestines, uterus, appendix, ovaries, kidney and prostate.

This initiative would be beneficial to produce a highly trained cadre of young surgeons, leveraging the diverse departments and highly qualified FCPS medics at the institute.

Robotic surgery provides a lot of benefits for patients, including reduced pain and scarring, expedited recovery, unparalleled accuracy, lower risk of complications, minimal blood loss, and the highest surgery success rate.