The first procedure using the robot was performed in March this year.<\/p>\n
So far, two prostatectomy procedures have been completed using the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cA robot-assisted prostatectomy is a minimally invasive procedure used to remove the prostate gland, usually due to prostate cancer,\u201d Harland said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt enables our surgical teams to deliver modern techniques, as well as allowing patients to remain close to their families and support networks during treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, the system is being used for urology procedures, with plans to expand into gynaecology and general surgery later this year.<\/p>\n
Hawke\u2019s Bay urologist, Dr Kenny du Toit, who trained on the Hugo system in Sydney before its deployment at Royston Hospital, said the local robotic-assisted technology is a significant win for surgeons and patients alike. <\/p>\n
\u201cRobotic-assisted surgery allows us to perform very complex procedures more efficiently and accurately,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor suitable patients, that can mean a smoother recovery and a quicker return to normal activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, the system is being used for urology procedures, with plans to expand into gynaecology and general surgery later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope this soon provides a pathway to include all patients within both the private and public health sectors,\u201d du Toit said.<\/p>\n
Patients accessing the technology are either privately insured or referred from Health New Zealand waiting lists, with no additional cost for those referred through the public system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have a small percentage of patients who self-fund their surgery, so there may be a cost increase for those patients who elect robotic procedures over traditional ones,\u201d Harland said.<\/p>\n
Health New Zealand director of funding hospitals, Rachel Haggerty, said robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) was being rolled out in a staged approach, based on evidence and led by each region, while maintaining national consistency.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to make sure RAS is used effectively, helps attract and retain staff, and leads to better outcomes for patients,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
No specific details were provided on pathways or plans to introduce this technology into Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2019s public system, with further information expected in the coming months as budgets are confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first procedure using the robot was performed in March this year. So far, two prostatectomy procedures have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1561,1976,134,527,2241,78,13441,111,139,69,26859,210362,210363,6290,83839,102],"class_list":["post-408859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-bay","tag-hawkes","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-hospital","tag-in","tag-introduced","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-operations","tag-roboticassisted","tag-royston","tag-surgery","tag-urology","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}