Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Asia's First 'Robot Surgery Program Training Center' Plaque Unveiled

Catholic University Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced on the 6th that it held a plaque ceremony for Asia's first 'Robot Surgery Program Education Center.'

Yoon Seung-gyu, Director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital (left), and Choi Yong-beom, CEO of Intuitive Korea, are holding a commemorative photo at the plaque ceremony for Asia's first 'Robotic Surgery Program Training Center.'
[Photo by Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]

Since the opening of the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Robot Surgery Center in March 2009 and the introduction of the 2nd generation da Vinci surgical robot 'da Vinci S,' the center currently operates a total of four robots simultaneously: three 4th generation 'da Vinci Xi' units and one 'da Vinci SP.' The center has demonstrated excellent clinical outcomes, achieving the shortest time in Korea to reach 10,000 da Vinci robot surgeries. In 2013, it opened Korea's first Robot Surgery Training Center, establishing a foundation for safe and effective surgical procedures by medical staff.

This plaque ceremony was held following the business agreement signed in September last year between Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Intuitive, the developer of da Vinci, to designate the hospital as Asia's first 'Robot Surgery Program Education Center.' Seoul St. Mary's Hospital will provide mentoring to medical institutions and staff starting robot surgery for the first time, while Intuitive will offer guidance on the use of digital products related to education and training to help Seoul St. Mary's Hospital operate a more systematic robot surgery program.

Hospital Director Yoon Seung-gyu said, "Through this plaque ceremony, we expect to share our hospital's robot surgery education and technology transfer not only across Asia but worldwide, providing educational opportunities to many medical professionals and enhancing the status of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital."

Choi Yong-beom, CEO of Intuitive Korea, said, "The advanced operational system of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Robot Surgery Center, excellent clinical results, and a highly capable care team have produced the best outcomes. We will do our best to make Seoul St. Mary's Hospital the mecca of robot surgery centers in the future."