An Indian urologist has successfully carried out a robot-assisted surgery on a patient from roughly 3,000 km away.

An Indian urologist has successfully carried out a robot-assisted surgery on a patient from roughly 3,000 km away. Dr Syed Mohammed Ghouse performed bladder reconnection surgery on a patient in Hyderabad, operating remotely from Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China.

The Indian urologist used robotic technology developed in China and high-speed 5G connectivity. The surgery reportedly lasted around 90 minutes, China Daily reported.

The development was also highlighted by Yu Jing, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, in a post on X.

“Indian urologist Dr. Syed Mohammed Ghouse, stationed in Wuhan, successfully performed a robot-assisted ureteral reimplantation in just 90 minutes on a patient 3,000 km away in Hyderabad, India—thanks to China-developed robotics and 5G technology,” Yu Jing wrote.

How the surgery was carried out
As per the China Daily report, doctors in Wuhan and Hyderabad coordinated online before the operation. They reviewed the patient’s medical reports and planned the movement path for the robotic arms in advance.

Medical staff in Hyderabad prepared the patient for surgery by administering anaesthesia and positioning the robotic instruments. The robotic setup included delicate surgical tools and high-definition 3D cameras.

Dr Ghouse operated the system from a console at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. He viewed live 3D images from the operating theatre in Hyderabad and remotely controlled the robotic arms throughout the procedure.

The report stated that the robotic arms mirrored the surgeon’s hand movements in real time, while 5G technology transmitted instructions within 200 milliseconds.

Doctors in Hyderabad remained present during the surgery and were prepared to step in if any emergency intervention was required.

Part of international surgical event
The remote operation was one of 26 surgeries demonstrated during the 10th Congress of the Chinese Chapter of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, according to China Daily.

Five of the procedures involved live international remote connections. Specialists from countries including India, Brazil, Georgia, Greece and Uzbekistan participated in the demonstrations across fields such as urology, gastrointestinal surgery, and hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery.

Chen Xiaoping, director of surgery at Tongji Hospital and one of the programme’s initiators, said emerging technologies are rapidly reshaping healthcare systems.

A new technological revolution driven by AI, 5G and 6G communications, and robot technology is deeply integrating with the healthcare industry, Chen said.