KARACHI: Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi is nearing a significant milestone with the introduction of Pakistan’s first remote surgery system. The system integrates artificial intelligence and high-speed satellite internet, allowing surgeons from distant locations, including overseas, to perform surgeries on patients in remote areas of the country.
To make this groundbreaking advancement possible, JPMC is working on upgrading its internet infrastructure to support the high-speed connectivity required for real-time robotic surgery. Once the system is fully operational, the hospital will be among the world’s leading medical institutions utilizing fully digitized surgical technologies.
Executive Director Professor Shahid Rasool revealed that the hospital plans to conduct its first telesurgery by the end of the year, contingent upon the successful installation of a satellite internet system. He noted that the primary challenge has been the lack of reliable high-speed connectivity in Pakistan. With stable internet access, surgeons will be able to perform surgeries remotely from hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away.
The concept of remote surgery, or telesurgery, was originally developed by NASA for use in space and became a reality on Earth in 2001, when a surgeon in New York performed a successful operation on a patient in Strasbourg, France using robotic arms connected through high-speed internet. A local surgeon was present to assist on-site.
JPMC aims to adapt this model to address the lack of access to specialist care in rural Pakistan. Remote surgery would allow expert surgeons in Karachi or abroad to treat patients in smaller cities or difficult-to-reach regions, provided a trained technician is available to manage the robotic equipment on-site. This approach could reduce the need for patients to travel to major cities for treatment, bringing advanced medical procedures to underserved areas.
Though the cost of robotic surgical systems currently ranges between \$2 million and \$2.5 million, prices are gradually declining. The benefits of robotic surgery are considerable, including reduced blood loss, minimal incisions, faster recovery times, and improved outcomes for complex surgeries, such as those involving rectal cancer or bladder tumors.
Robotic surgery has already been implemented in several hospitals across Sindh, including Jinnah Hospital, Civil Hospital, Dow University, SIUT, and Gambat Hospital. Future installations are planned at LUMHS, with expansions also expected in Sukkur and Larkana. With better connectivity, surgeons in Karachi could soon perform remote surgeries in these cities as well.
