Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Surgical & Robotics Training Institute

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Surgical & Robotics Training Institute.Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is now home to the southern hemisphere’s only
training centre for robotic surgery. The new RPA Surgical and Robotic Training Institute was officially opened this month by Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, Brad Hazzard.
The institute is an Australian-first partnership between Sydney Local Health District, Device Technologies, da Vinci Surgical Systems and the University of Sydney and brings together clinical care, research, training and state-of-the-art medical technology.
The RPA Surgical and Robotic Training Institute will train surgeons from across Australia and Asia in robotic techniques for cardiovascular, urology, gynaecology and colorectal procedures. “RPA is amazing and it’s great to see the commitment to doing better for our patients. “The manoeuvrability of the da Vinci to have the capacity to come from any direction takes us to a whole new level and the range of surgeons to be trained in effective use of twenty-first century robotics will be incredible,” Mr Hazzard said.
RPA surgeon Professor Paul Bannon said every patient undergoing robotic surgery would also be part of a research project so medical students and surgeons of the future could benefit. “Robotic surgery is one of the greatest advances in surgery in decades and is allowing surgeons to pioneer new techniques and perform complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques,” Professor Bannon said. “For our patients, robotic surgery means fewer complications, such as surgical site infection, less pain and blood loss, quicker recovery and smaller, less noticeable scars.”
Until now, surgeons have had to travel to the United States or Europe to learn robotic techniques.