By Abdellatif Sharaa
KUWAIT: Head of the Surgery Department at Jaber Hospital and Head of Kuwait Board of General Surgery Dr Sulaiman Al-Mazeedi said the surgical team of Jaber hospital has conducted more than 100 procedures with the use of surgical robots. He said Jaber Hospital is the only general surgery department with a robot in Kuwait, while Sabah Al-Ahmad Urology Center has another robot in a department headed by the pioneer in robot surgeries in Kuwait Dr Saad Al-Dousari.
Dr Mazeedi said most general surgeries done with the use of the robot are for obesity, colon cancer, abdominal walls and complicated hernia, in addition to cholecystectomies. He said the advantage of using a robot is that it is more precise than regular laparoscopic surgeries, adding that earlier large incisions in the abdomen were being made, then came laparoscopes, and now the world has advanced to robotics. He said that this transformation is in line with the ministry of health's vision in improving the health system in Kuwait and providing distinguished care to citizens.
Meanwhile, Head of the Robotic Surgery Department at St Luke's Hospital in Philadelphia Dr Maher El Chaar said: "In the past few days, I had the honor to visit Jaber Hospital in Kuwait on the kind invitation of the ministry of health, and I am very grateful for the generosity and warm welcome I received. During the visit, I had the pleasure to work and collaborate with a dedicated and passionate team of very talented surgeons who performed, over the course of five days, a variety of advanced robotic surgical procedures with great success."
He added: "In the recent decade, the implementation of robotic surgery and the use of artificial intelligence in the US have changed the field of surgery and resulted in significant improvement in patient outcomes across all specialties, and I am truly amazed at the unwavering commitment of the ministry to bring this innovative technology to Kuwait to benefit the Kuwaiti people and to improve the outcomes of surgical patients. During the visit, we were able to exchange expertise and work together on developing regulations and guidelines for the use of the technology. I would also like to thank my friend Dr Sulaiman Al-Mazeedi for his leadership, hard work, dedication and commitment to position Jaber Hospital and Kuwait as the robotic hub of the Middle East."
Colon Surgery Consultant at Jaber Hospital and Associate Professor at the College of Medicine Dr Ahmad Al-Khamis said the robot is used in colon surgeries to deal with several problems, adding that among things the robot can help are if the patient has cancerous tumors in the rectum itself, or if the problem is in the colon due to previous procedures, or if doctors expect the problem will be present for a longer time. "In such conditions, the robot provides us with continuous accuracy without getting tired while dealing with these issues," he said.