Thai surgeon performs Thailand’s first interprovincial telesurgery on prostate cancer patient

A surgeon in Bangkok remotely controlled a robotic system to operate on a prostate cancer patient in Nakhon Ratchasima, about 250 kilometres away, in what the Public Health Ministry described as Thailand’s first interprovincial robotic telesurgery.

The operation on August 24 linked Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok with Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

Dr Peeradon Sapermsap operated the robotic system from Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, while Dr Niphon Suphratnachatiphan and Dr Thanathon Termkraisri were present with the patient at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.

The arrangement allowed the Bangkok-based surgeon’s movements to be transmitted to the surgical robot at the provincial hospital. The system did not operate autonomously, and medical personnel remained in the operating theatre with the patient throughout the procedure.

Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat, who attended the event in Bangkok, said the operation demonstrated how advanced medical expertise could be shared with hospitals outside the capital.

The ministry intends to use the procedure as a model for developing a national telesurgery network, although it did not provide a timetable or identify the hospitals that would join the next phase.

Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Somruek Jungsaman said extending the system to regional hospital networks could also allow provincial medical personnel to gain experience with advanced surgical technology.

Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital began offering robot-assisted surgery in December 2025. It has since conducted 52 procedures across gynaecology, general surgery and urology, according to Department of Medical Services Director-General Dr Nutthapong Wongwiwat.

The cases included patients with uterine, ovarian, pancreatic, stomach, colorectal, prostate and kidney cancers. The department said all 52 procedures had been completed successfully.

The Bangkok hospital previously connected its surgical team with West China Hospital for two cross-border procedures over a distance of about 3,000 kilometres. The operations involved a gallstone patient on April 21 and a prostate cancer patient on June 25.

Officials said the domestic operation could support the transfer of specialist knowledge to provincial hospitals and reduce the need for some patients or surgeons to travel long distances.

However, wider deployment would depend on hospitals having suitable robotic systems, communications infrastructure, trained personnel and arrangements for patient safety during remote procedures.