Hospital rolls out robotic support

NEW technology is giving Grampians Health’s surgeons a helping robotic hand thanks to more than six-million dollars pledged by the State Government.

With funding delivered as part of the 2022 budget, the health service has rolled out a surgical robot to assist staff with complex procedures at Ballarat Base Hospital.

Colorectal specialist and medical lead for robotic surgery Ms Carolyn Vasey is one of three surgeons in the region trained in operating the technology.

She said the high-tech assistance has provided a huge boost to her capabilities.

“It allows me to offer really very complex procedures to a diverse group of public patients often who present with latent pathology and more advanced disease,” Ms Vasey said.

“It’s an absolute delight to use the robot to deliver what I’d previously done through either open incisions or using straight sticks rather than wristed instruments.

“The vision as we saw during our recent trip to theatre is beyond what the human eye can see.”

The robotic technology is aimed at allowing a greater range of movement than humanly possible, with 3D imagery and zoom function capabilities.

The robot has been in use since early December last year with Ballarat Base being the fourth public hospital in Victoria to receive the equipment.

David Tippett is one of about 20 patients to have benefited so far from the robot and said the equipment helped provide a smoother procedure and recovery.

“Four weeks recovery, six weeks and I was back at work. I was in hospital for eight days,” he said.

“I work with larger robots but seeing the intricacy of the robots today is amazing.”

Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison saw the robot in action as part of a surgical demonstration earlier this week.

She said it’ll bridge the gap between Ballarat as a regional health provider and procedures offered in major Melbourne hospitals.

“Patients in regional areas deserve the best healthcare,” she said. “By providing a $6.5 million surgical robot we are going to make sure the outcomes for our patients are just as good as those in metropolitan areas.”

It is expected that eight of the hospital’s surgeons will be qualified to use the robot to assist with procedures by June.