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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The new Minimal Access Surgery Training Centre (MASTC) at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH), Hong Kong East Cluster, was officially opened today (December 6). This is an important milestone in the development of minimal access surgery in Hong Kong.
The grand opening ceremony was officiated by Dr York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, Mr Anthony Wu, Chairman of the Hospital Authority, Mr Shane Solomon, Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Loretta Yam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong East Cluster, Mr Lawrence Lee, PYNEH Hospital Governing Committee Chairman, and Mr Michael Li, Director of the Minimal Access Surgery Training Centre and Chief of Service cum Consultant Surgeon, Department of Surgery.
There were more than one hundred local and overseas guests at the ceremony, and medical representatives from all over the world also sent their congratulations. Officiating guests said they were impressed by the foresight and determination of the Hospital Authority, which has contributed to the steady development of minimal access surgery.
After the ceremony, officiating guests, accompanied by Mr Michael Li, saw Hong Kong's first EndoLap (combination of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery) Operating Room, where they showed special interest in the state-of-the art virtual surgery equipment. They also visited the Endoscopy Training Room and Surgical Virtual Reality Laboratory. And finally, they appreciated the masterpiece of Dr Kai-hung Fung, Consultant Radiologist, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, who invented "the rainbow technique" to produce artistic images by using computer tomography. His work was awarded the first place in the 2007 International Science & Engineering Visualisation Challenge, organised by the National Science Foundation and the journal, Science.
PYNEH is committed to promoting minimal access surgery service and training. The EndoLap Operating Room was established in 2005, further combining medical and surgical technology, and enabling luminal and peritoneal surgery to be performed at the same time. Endo-laparoscopic surgery can help lessen patients' pain, scarring, recovery time, and enhance the safety and scope of surgery. In view of the public need for endo-laparoscopic surgery, the new EndoLap Operating Room is equipped with high-definition endo-laparoscopic surgical equipment for hands-on training, which greatly helps to improve both the quality and quantity of training.
The Surgical Virtual Reality Laboratory is also a new setup in the Training Centre. The laboratory utilises Computerised Tomographic Scanning and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to facilitate medical virtual reality techniques, including 3D images, computerised and reality modelling of human organs and tissues, and surgical navigation. These innovative techniques can be used in medical training, the research and development of advanced surgery, and to enhance the accuracy and safety of complicated surgery.
Ends/Thursday, December 6, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:25
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