As a further milestone in university developments, a robot-assisted surgical system was put into operation on Tuesday at the clinical center of the University of Debrecen.
Zoltán Szabó, president of the center, told journalists that the establishment of the robotic surgery center is an outstanding milestone in the development of the equipment park.
A da Vinci robot and a mobile operating table have been installed in the center, which was built with HUF 1.3 billion (EUR 3.4 million) of grant funding. The university further contributed HUF 200 million (EUR 520,000) to the investment, he said. The president also pointed out that the robot-assisted surgery center will be used in four fields: general, urology, gynecology, and ear, nose, and throat surgeries. Dezső Tóth, director of the surgical clinic, added that the robot will not replace the surgeon but will assist the surgeon performing the operation by providing continuous data.
László Papp, mayor of Debrecen, called the establishment of the robot-assisted surgery center one of the biggest innovations of the clinic, which “represents the future of healthcare.” Speaking at the inauguration event, rector Zoltán Szilvássy noted: “The robot-assisted surgical system is a technological step forward that we had to take.” The first robot-assisted surgical procedures in Hungary started in 2022, at the National Oncology Institute, followed by the Jahn Ferenc Hospital, Semmelweis University, and the University of Pécs Clinical Center. As reported (https://hungarytoday.hu/first-private-healthcare-robot-starts-tooperate/) by Hungary Today, last year, the Wáberer Medical Center also invested in a da Vinci device, thus becoming the first private institution in Hungary to offer the robot-assisted surgical technique.