By Marvin cato | HGP Nightly news|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – In a groundbreaking achievement for global telemedicine, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced that Guyana successfully participated in and facilitated the world’s longest-distance robotic telesurgery procedure, spanning an estimated 20,000 kilometers between Georgetown and India.
Following the historic milestone, which was completed as the nation observed its 60th Independence Anniversary, the administration revealed a comprehensive master plan to position Guyana as the premier international training and accreditation hub for robotic-assisted surgery across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
A Global Milestone in Digital Medicine
The operation, conducted at 6:00 AM on Independence Day, featured a complex coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) performed on a patient located in India. The procedure was executed remotely from a surgical command console at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by internationally renowned robotic cardiac pioneer Dr. Sudhir Srivastava.
The medical feat utilized the advanced SSI Mantra 3 robotic surgical system, which President Ali announced will be formally renamed the “Mantra Freedom 60” platform within the domestic network to honor Guyana’s Diamond Jubilee milestone.
- The Technical Metrics: The intercontinental connection optimized ultra-low latency data transmissions via secure fiber-optic and 5G nodes, giving the operating surgeon real-time, high-definition 3D magnified control of tissues down to a fraction of a millimeter.
- On-Site Clinical Support: While the primary structural dissection and arterial grafting were directed from Georgetown, the patient-side operating room in India was managed by a specialized on-site clinical team led by Dr. Lalit Malik and Dr. Mohit Bhandari.
- The Financial Multiplier: Cardiological experts noted that while traditional open-chest bypass surgeries often cost between US$6,000 and US$12,000 and require a minimum seven-day hospital stay, robotic-assisted alternatives reduce patient recovery times and overall costs by approximately 50 percent. GPHC officials confirmed that these advanced procedures will eventually be made available to local citizens free of cost.
Establishing the CARICOM Training Hub
Capitalizing on the successful operation, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony outlined a formal, multi-agency educational alliance to establish a regional training and accreditation framework. The institutional network will integrate the Ministry of Health, the University of Guyana (UG), and the specialized Post-Graduate Medical Institute.
“We have demonstrated that if you establish an elite technological hub here, you can build out ‘spokes’ across different countries and regional territories,” Dr. Frank Anthony asserted accessibly. “Guyana has proven its baseline capability to safely execute these advanced procedures across cardiothoracic, general surgery, gynecology, and urological specialties.”
To support the rapid rollout of the hub, President Ali disclosed that the government has already fully funded the acquisition of the complete SSI Mantra simulator training modules. This follows an intensive phase where entire teams of local Guyanese medical professionals and biomedical engineers were dispatched to India for specialized residency training within the SS Innovations ecosystem.
The administration believes that the domestic expansion of the Mantra Freedom 60 platform will soon enable specialized medical consultants based in Georgetown to perform real-time, minimally invasive operations on patients admitted to remote regional hospitals across the hinterland, fundamentally decentralizing healthcare and ensuring equitable access to world-class surgical care across all administrative regions.
