Gas Insufflation-Less Laparoscopic Surgery [GILLS] is useful in rural areas because the technology makes laparoscopic surgery possible under easily available and less expensive Spinal anesthesia. The University of Leeds project formulated the innovative TARGET training program to teach GILLS with hands on surgical workshop and proctorship program at the trainees’ rural hospital.
Earlier training programs trained rural surgeons who already had some experience with laparoscopic surgery during their training. The TARGET training at Kabale University in Uganda was the first place where such training program was organized to train surgeons who had no prior experience with laparoscopic surgeries. The program was organized in April 2023.
The faculty were from India and UK and hence proctorship program was difficult to arrange. It was here that VRiMS [Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery] had a significant role to play. After viewing the VRiMS recording of setting up the RAIS device at Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi, which was livestreamed on YouTube, they had the courage to set up the RAIS device and start doing GILLS surgeries.
They are looking forward to future live streams of operative surgery videos from the VRiMS team, and are confident that virtual telepresence in the operating room through the 360 and the other overlaid videos will help them learn and practice modern surgery.
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