Chinese hospital donates self-developed laparoscopy training system to Mozambique

MAPUTO -- The West China Hospital of Sichuan University donated an intelligent laparoscopy training and assessment system to Maputo Central Hospital of Mozambique, adding new dimensions to the longstanding cooperation between the two countries in the health sector.

Speaking at the handover ceremony on Wednesday, Mouzinho Saide, director of Maputo Central, said Mozambique is among the first countries to benefit from the system, which will undoubtedly help the hospital improve its healthcare and service quality.

Developed by Prof. Liu Lunxu and his team from West China Hospital, the system incorporated technologies such as image recognition and fine perception and has pioneered intelligent assessment of laparoscopic skills without relying on experts to score trainees' on-site operations.

"This technology will allow for a good training of our doctors. It improves the quality of patient care in laparoscopic surgery. There isn't much invasion in the body of the laparoscopic operated patients. The recovery will be faster, sometimes hospitalization is not even necessary, and the equipment cost is also lower," said Saide.

He also recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mozambican medical workforce received valuable training and assistance through health cooperation channels with China.

"By donating the world's first intelligent laparoscopic training and assessment system to the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique, we hope to effectively enhance the training level of surgical physicians in the country," said Liu, who serves as the executive vice president of West China Hospital, through video link.

The medical team leader, Zhang Hao, said the next goal is to help their local colleagues establish an intelligent laparoscopic training center with the system and the region's first "smart simulation" laparoscopic training center and objective assessment system.