“We have leapfrogged to 2050 and beyond” – Pres Ali

…as Guyana successfully completes longest-distance robotic surgery

Guyana has positioned itself in the future of healthcare following the successful completion of the longest-distanced robotic surgery via telemedicine in the world.

Utilising the SSI Mantra 3 robotic surgical system, the landmark cardiac telesurgery procedure was conducted on Tuesday from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in Georgetown on a patient located in India.

The coronary artery bypass graft surgery was performed by internationally renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Sudhir Srivastava, who operated the robotic system remotely from Guyana, something which President Dr Irfaan Ali hailed during a press conference following the successful completion of the procedure.

“[This was] not only a robotic surgery…[but] the latest advances in technology in robotic surgeries. The absolutely latest technology, not the one from yesterday, the most current technology, some of which, most of which, is not even existing in the most developed medical environment, we have adopted in our robotics. We have leapfrogged to 2050 and beyond,” the Guyanese leader declared.

According to President Ali, Guyana did not just make an investment to be part of medical history but bought the entire training module. The SSI Mantra 3 robotic system was supplied by SS Innovations International Inc., which was founded by Dr Srivastava.

The Guyanese leader said he also got the company to set up an international training hub in here to train Guyanese medical professionals. In preparation for Tuesday’s telesurgery, a medical team from Guyana had to travel to India for two weeks of training.

President Ali pointed out that the same technology the team was exposed to in India would now be available here and accessible not just to Guyanese but to the wider Caribbean region.

“Everything that they experienced in the most advanced facility in India in the coming weeks will be available here in Guyana for the rest of the region as we build out the hub for robotic surgery and care from Guyana. And the spokes will build out throughout the Caribbean, and we will provide this training mechanism for all of the teams across the region.”

Surgeon Mantra Freedom 60

The telesurgery commenced at 06:00h on Tuesday and was specifically scheduled to be done on this day when Guyana celebrated its 60th Independence Anniversary. In fact, President Ali announced that the robotic system has been renamed Mantra Freedom 60 – an ode to the country’s milestone.

“There is no better way to signal our mark in this Diamond Jubilee than this historic moment… So, when you do your surgery, or you do surgery in neurology or gynaecology, you will hear Surgeon Freedom 16 will be at your side. Don’t be afraid,” the Head of State posited.

The team supporting Dr Srivastava included professionals from both India and Guyana as well as the Caribbean region.

According to President Ali, the telesurgery covered an estimated distance of approximately 20,000 kilometres via fibre optic cables, making it the longest-distance telesurgery ever conducted in the world to date.

The procedure in India was supported onsite by Dr Lalit Malik and Dr Mohit Bhandari.

Meanwhile, the Guyanese leader went on to reveal that following that historic long-distance procedure, another telesurgery was conducted by a Guyanese team at the GPHC.

Led by Dr Hemraj Ramcharran, with support from Dr Bibi Hussain and Dr Jagnanand Ramnarine – all of whom were trained in India, a local robotic inguinal hernia repair was successfully performed. Dr Ramcharran is now the first Guyanese to conduct a robotic surgery in Guyana and the English-speaking Caribbean.

“This was the first robotic surgery that was done physically here in Guyana and the Caribbean… The surgery was done between the surgeons of Guyana, our biomedical technicians and our nurses. This shows clearly that we’re able to continue this,” Dr Ramcharran emphasised.

Additionally, Dr Srivastava also performed a local robotic atrial septal defect (ASD) repair at the GPHC on Tuesday. The patient was being treated for ASD, a congenital heart condition involving an abnormal opening in the wall separating the upper chambers of the heart.

New era of medicine

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony hailed Tuesday’s accomplishments as the launch of ‘a new era of medicine in Guyana’.

“Using robotic arms, with a surgeon sitting on a chair with a console in his hands and operating on a patient that is 20,000 kilometres away, factoring in all the technology, there might be latency in how these signals travel…and to be able to conduct not just any surgery but a heart surgery…that’s the power of what has happened here today,” the minister asserted.

According to Dr Anthony, Guyana has demonstrated its capability, especially to the wider region, of conducting telesurgeries in cardiology, general surgery, gynaecology and neurology. More importantly, however, the health minister underscored the importance of having this new technology in servicing citizens across the various regions in Guyana.

“One of the great things with these systems is that…it is extremely precise… This is a phenomenal launch, and it represents the President’s vision of building out a world-class healthcare system,” Dr Anthony stated.