PESHAWAR: Lady Reading Hospital has planned to launch robotic surgeries as the first workshop in this regard was held to train urologists here on Thursday.

The development surfaced after a one-day live workshop at the province’s oldest hospital during which one robotic surgery was performed by Prof Matin Sheriff, the director of Robotic Surgery West Kent Urology Cancer Centre, Medway NHS Foundation Trust Kent, UK, and Prof Nadeem Bin Nusrat of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre (PKLI&RC) Lahore.

Prof Martin told Dawn that robotic surgery was gaining currency around the globe. Not only in developed countries where it is common, it is also being practiced in Punjab and Sindh provinces and they wanted to train doctors and other support staff to benefit patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said.

According to him, Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (Ramis) is an advanced surgical technique through which surgeons use a console to control robotic arms equipped with specialised instruments and a high-definition 3D camera, which allows doing complex surgeries through small incisions, with precision, flexibility and control as compared to traditional open surgery.

We have already conducted such workshops in Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD) Peshawar, Kulsum International Hospital Islamabad and in next few days a similar training event will be held in district headquarters hospital Mirpur AJ&K, Prof Martin said.

In LRH, we conducted numerous lectures and simulations with local participation with plan to assist launching robotic surgeries in near future, he said Meanwhile, according to LRH’s spokesman Muhammad Asim department of urology has made a significant step forward in advancing minimally invasive surgical practices in the region.

The workshop featured hands-on training sessions and academic discussions where trainers shared their extensive expertise in robotic urological procedures.

The event was organized by Dr. Azra Ghani, Dr. Muhammad Asif and Dr. Khalid Farooq, whose efforts ensured a highly productive and engaging learning environment for participants.

The workshop, which was attended by a large number of consultants, trainees and medical professionals, provided them with valuable exposure to the latest advancements in robotic-assisted surgery.

Live demonstrations, interactive sessions and case-based discussions were key highlights of the event.

This initiative reflects LRH’s continued commitment to promoting excellence in surgical education and improving patient care through innovation and skill development.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2026