Indonesia expands robotic telesurgery project with Iran

The Indonesian government has reached out to Iran to help establish robotic telesurgery in the country.The Indonesian government is pursuing robotic telesurgery as a strategy in telemedicine to improve access to quality referral health services, particularly for remote communities.
The technology provided its robotic surgical system to the pilot sites, which are 500 kilometres apart. Local telecommunications company  supported the long-distance trial by providing 5G connectivity. Participating surgeons doctors were first trained using control consoles that simulate surgical procedures, then they were able to demonstrate the system on a test animal.
The technology benefits such as reduced patient travel distances, increased surgical accuracy, and shorter recovery periods, among others. Infection rates are also minimised as the procedure is done remotely. Robotic telesurgery is hoped to be applied in digestive, urology and gynaecology procedures in the future.