Doctors in China. Patient in Quezon City. Surgery happening live. Welcome to the future.
On Tuesday, August 25, two Filipino urologists based in Shanghai performed the Philippines' first remote surgery, also called telesurgery.
What happened
The patient: a 53-year-old Filipino man at the Urology Center of the Philippines in Quezon City
The procedure: prostate surgery
The doctors: two Filipino urologists working in Shanghai
The tool: a surgical robot they controlled in real time over high-speed internet
Wait, how is that even possible?
The surgeons sit at a console and move controls, and the robot in the operating room copies their movements instantly. The key is a super stable, fast internet connection, because even a small delay matters when you're operating.
Why it's a big deal
In the Philippines, many specialists are based in big cities. Remote surgery could someday help patients in far-off provinces get expert care without traveling to Manila.
We don't know yet which robot was used or how the patient is doing, since those details weren't shared in the first reports. Still, Pinoy doctors pulling this off is pretty amazing.
