Now the students at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research will be able to practice their surgical skills before they actually start working with live patients. On Tuesday, the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology inaugurated the surgical technology learning centre, which was installed at a cost of Rs. 3.8 crore.
According to the Head of the Department Biju Pottakkat, the simulation machine will be used to train all students who wish to perform laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. The lab will simulate various procedures in the field of gastroenterology, urology, gynaecology and even bronchoscopies.
There are a total of nine instruments that have been installed and they will be able to test the skill of students at three different levels. The first level of training will be to do basic laparoscopy, cutting and suturing.
In the second level, the machines will simulate complete surgeries and in the third level of skill-training, the student will receive “real tissue feedback” where they will be told if they injured a tissue or organ while performing the simulated surgery.
Minimum hours
The plan is to eventually ensure that all students perform a minimum of 40 hours of surgery using these machines before they enter into actual surgery. JIPMER could also become a hub for other medical colleges in the area to train their candidates, he said.
The skills laboratory was inaugurated by Director in-charge of JIPMER P.H. Anantanarayanan.
