Hamad Medical Corp (HMC), a non-profit, health care provider, and Qatar Robotic Surgery Centre (QRSC), an initiative of Qatar Science & Technology Park, trained six surgical residents of HMC in using laparoscopic simulators.

The course on minimally invasive surgery, a technique by which the surgery is performed through small incisions only using laparoscopic simulators, was conducted at QRSC entirely led by local experts and trainers from both HMC and QRSC.

“The objective of this course is to give our residents solid basis in laparoscopic surgery,” said Dr Omar Zaghmout, assistant director of medical education at HMC and programme director for the laparoscopy course.

“Practical exercise on ‘box training’ and virtual reality simulators are important elements of the tutorials. By combining the laparoscopic experience of HMC and advanced technology available at QRSC, we were able to establish this high quality workshop,” he added.

This first course will lead to more similar educational programmes, to be launched in the near future, aiming at providing basic training in laparoscopic skills to all surgical residents at HMC, said Dr Zaghmout.

Eventually this will lead to an accelerated implementation of minimally invasive surgery training courses as a standard training course for doctors in training at HMC that is locally available.

Dr Amer Al-Saadi, vice-chairman of the management board of QSTP, said: “Qatar Robotic Surgery Centre was established to support surgeons and scientists in Qatar and to drive technical and clinical advancements in surgery in the country.”

“Our collaboration with HMC on the joint laparoscopic course does exactly this. We expect to extend this collaboration into a successful partnership between HMC and QRSC, for the benefit of surgical practice and patients in Qatar.”

Dr Abdullatif Al-Khal, director of medical education at HMC, said: “This is the first time in Qatar a laparoscopic course is given entirely by local trainers. The collaboration between HMC and QRSC has been instrumental to achieve it.”

“It is our joint objective to build a broad base of local expertise in surgical training as we develop this course into a more comprehensive simulation program to train all of our surgical residents in laparoscopic surgery,” he added.

Laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery is a technique by which the surgery is performed through small incisions in the abdominal wall.

This kind of surgery is more technically demanding than with open surgery, but has important advantages for the patient including reduced bleeding, less scaring, less pain, shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery time. – TradeArabia News Service