THE WORLD OF HEALTHCARE 4.0 By Suwatchai Songwanich
● Renji Hospital in Shanghai pioneered new ground last month when it successfully aired China’s first 5G live broadcast of surgery using an advanced robotics system on an intestinal cancer patient. This marked a significant step forward in developing integrated medical services across the Yangtze River Delta area.
The live-streamed, high-definition video of the 90-minute procedure, conducted using the da Vinci robotic surgery system, was broadcast over a 5G connection to doctors at Renji Hospital and another hospital in Ningbo, 160 kilometres away.
A doctor in the same Renji operating theatre as the 65-year-old patient conducted the keyhole surgery from the machine’s console, while his dozens of colleagues followed each incision in pin-sharp detail from their respective locations.
This followed another major surgical breakthrough using 5G technology in China. In March, surgeons in Sanya, in Hainan province, used a computer to control surgical instruments to carry out brain surgery on a patient 2,500 kilometres away in Beijing. The system was supported by China Mobile and Huawei.
The use of 5G and other technologies by surgeons and doctors can bring many benefits:
Both students and experienced doctors have the opportunity to learn how to conduct complex procedures, or how to use new technologies or techniques, without having to travel to a specific hospital to observe the operation. This means medical staff can learn about and pioneer the latest medical treatments regardless of where they practise, thus enabling health authorities to ensure more patients have access to the best treatment, not only those who live in urban centres;
Surgeons conducting the operation can draw on the advice of other expert doctors who are able to follow the surgery in real time at a distance;
The use of 5G enables high-bandwidth data transmission to a wider area than traditional wireline telecommunications, which can be particularly beneficial in rural areas. Doctors can also observe operations via a smartphone or tablet.
As the technologies improve, doctors will even be able to conduct surgery from a different country.
The Renji and Sanya trials are the beginning of a journey that could revolutionise how doctors and surgeons practise medicine, and how their patients access treatment, around the world.
Last year, Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok marked its journey toward delivering Healthcare 4.0 with the deployment of a new robotic arm to assist spinal surgery. The recent developments in China make it entirely plausible that in the near future surgical teams in Bangkok, such as those at Bumrungrad, could directly assist hospitals in rural Thailand and beyond. This could support Thailand’s goal to become a major medical hub.