Surgeons will now be able to undertake robotic-assisted procedures at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City courtesy of the upcoming acquisition of new robotic technology.
According to Dr. Ricardo Audan, the chief of SPMC, the government-owned hospital is getting ready for the state-of-the-art Da Vinci surgical machine, which has the potential to save more lives in Mindanao.
In a press release, he said that the hospital is currently in the pre-procurement phase, and by November 2024, they hope to have it up and running.
Poised for innovation
With the new equipment, Audan believes the SPMC will become the first Department of Health facility in Visayas and Mindanao to do robotic-assisted surgery.
Audan pointed out that the SPMC might have to pay about P300 million for the technology. The training of the human surgeons who will run the machine is already covered by the expense.
He stated that the technology is currently being used by four hospitals in the nation, all of which are situated in Manila.
The technology will be installed at the SPMC's soon-to-finish Mindanao Kidney Transplant Institute facility.
Opening possibilities
The surgical disciplines that the robotics technology can handle are ophthalmology, orthopedics, ENT (eyes, nose, throat), obstetrics, and gynecology.
Audan said that there will be “less bleeding and less mortality,” and better healing for the patients.
The Da Vinci Surgical System was first purchased by the UP-PGH in 2019, enabling physicians to carry out robotically assisted, minimally invasive surgeries with the least amount of tissue handling and blood loss possible.
