Surgeons Complete First Telesurgery Across 250km
Doctors performed the kingdom's first remote robotic surgery on Monday, connecting Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok with Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital roughly 250 kilometres away. Dr Peeradon Sapermsap controlled the robotic surgical platform remotely from Bangkok while local surgeons assisted at the patient's bedside in Nakhon Ratchasima, guiding the system through a radical prostatectomy for a prostate cancer patient.
The Ministry of Public Health described the procedure as a milestone for the kingdom's medical sector, demonstrating that high-speed data networks and robotic platforms can support complex surgery performed at a distance. Officials said the operation went smoothly, with the patient responding well and no complications reported following the procedure.
Officials Eye Wider Rollout of Remote Surgical Networks
Health officials said the successful telesurgery could serve as a model for expanding remote surgical networks to hospitals in more remote provinces, where access to specialist surgeons is often limited. Robotic-assisted surgery has been used in the kingdom for several years, with major hospitals offering robotic-assisted procedures for prostate, kidney and other cancers, but Monday's operation marked the first time a procedure was performed entirely by remote control between two separate cities.
The Ministry said it would continue to evaluate the technology's reliability and safety before broader rollout, citing the need for stable, low-latency connectivity and backup systems in case of network interruptions during surgery. Officials framed the achievement as part of a wider push to modernise the country's healthcare infrastructure and reduce the need for patients in outlying provinces to travel long distances for advanced surgical care.
