Islamabad has recorded the first robotic surgery in Pakistan carried out as a telesurgery gallbladder removal, with a surgeon at a conference controlling the robotic console while the patient remained in a hospital operating theatre.
According to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), the procedure was a robotic cholecystectomy—surgical removal of the gallbladder—linked in real time between two sites on 31 October. Prof. Dr. Syed Tanseer Asghar, SZABMU’s registrar and a robotic surgeon, operated the console from the International Conference on Future of Healthcare (FHCC 2026) at the Gandhara Heritage and Culture Centre. The patient was at Kulsum International Hospital, where an on-site surgical team stayed with the case throughout.
How the remote operation worked
Telesurgery means a trained surgeon guides robotic instruments from a distance using a console, while clinicians beside the patient handle the robotic cart and any immediate support. In this case, Dr. Sana Sharafat Ali, a consultant robotic and vascular surgeon, served as the patient-side robotic surgeon at Kulsum International Hospital. She managed the robotic patient cart, gave on-site surgical support, and coordinated with Prof. Asghar during the operation.
SZABMU’s registrar office said the arrangement showed how remote console work can be paired with a team at the bedside. The demonstration underlined that clinical teamwork and on-site cover remain essential even when the console operator is not in the same room.
What university leaders said
SZABMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Tanwir Khaliq, who is also a surgeon, called the procedure an important step for the university and for specialist care more widely. He said robotic technology, reliable connectivity and close coordination between surgical teams can widen what is possible for patients, and that patient safety, professional training and responsible use of technology must stay central as these skills grow.
He added that SZABMU has secured approval for its first Robotic and Artificial Intelligence Health Centre. The planned centre is meant to support robotic and AI work in healthcare, together with training and institutional capacity-building.
Why this milestone matters
The first robotic surgery in Pakistan performed this way was presented before a healthcare audience at FHCC 2026, offering a live example of digitally connected operating care. Officials framed it as part of a wider effort by Pakistani surgeons to adopt advanced tools.
Telesurgery may, over time, help match scarce specialist skills with patients who live far from those experts. Broader use, SZABMU noted, will still depend on dependable technology, clear clinical protocols and tight coordination between the remote surgeon and the team in theatre. Robotic surgery in Islamabad in this form is therefore a proof of concept as much as a single successful case.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad mein gallbladder ki pehli robotic surgery telesurgery se hui hai. Surgeon conference se robot control kar raha tha, patient hospital mein tha. Do teams ne mil kar kaam kiya. Aage ye tareeqa door ke ilaaqon tak specialist care pahunchane mein madadgar ho sakta hai.
