Between 4 and 6 May, the UP staff and students had the opportunity to take a closer look at the DaVinci Xi surgical robot, which was purchased last autumn and has since been performing surgeries, in the aula of the Medical School in Pécs. The equipment was surrounded by many young people on all three days; they could also try out how it worked.
Dr. Zalán Szántó, associate professor, Head of Unit at the Clinical Centre Department of Surgery, member of the Pécs Robotic Surgery Working Group, and organizer of the event, said that at least 250 people tried the robot out during the three days, including several leaders at the university, specialists, as well as researchers. On 4 May, the doctors of the Robotic Surgery Working Group gave a demonstration to the members of the Rotary Club of Pécs, on 5 May, the robot was introduced to specialist trainees participating in surgical postgraduate training, and on 6 May, a demonstration in English was organized with the participation of the PTE Surgical Society. Students from the biology and physics faculties at the Ciszterci Rend Nagy Lajos Gimnázium also attended the program.
"Many people said that it was a fantastic opportunity to experience this new technique and get an impression of how it works with little practice. High school students said it confirmed their decision to choose a medical career and apply to the Medical School. Most of them were curious to know which patients can be operated on with a robot, how long such operations take, how much training is required, how quickly patients recover, whether such operations can be observed in the operating theatre, and whether the robot will play a role in their training,"
said Dr. Zalán Szántó.
The UP Robotic Surgery Working Group and the Medical Skills Education and Innovation Centre organized the three-day exhibition in collaboration with SofMedica. The organizers are considering continuing the program, with plans to display the robot in the aula three or four times a year.