"Although laparoscopic surgery is being practiced worldwide for the last 17 years, yet the opportunities for a structured training to teach and train laparoscopic skills lack across continents.
I had nurtured a dream for a long time to establish a centre of excellence for Laparoscopic Training in the Department of Surgical Disciplines, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. This turned into reality when I met Prof. Gerhard Buess during my visit to Germany in July 2006. Prof. Gerhard Buess expressed his concern about lack of proper structured hands - on skill training in the field of minimal access surgery and the idea of establishing a training centre at AIIMS, New Delhi evolved. Dr. V.K. Bansal, Professor in Surgery, had an opportunity to visit and work closely with Prof. Buess's Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Centre in the University Hospital of Germany thus maturing the whole process of establishing such a centre in New Delhi.
26th March, 2007 should be deemed a red-letter day in the history of Department of Surgical Disciplines, AIIMS, New Delhi, when the Centre was established with the State of the Art Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Centre within the Department of Surgical Disciplines, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Richard Wolf, Germany, has donated all the equipment and instruments for the Training Centre through an educational grant.
The principal objective of the Training Centre is to offer basic and advance courses for learning operative laparoscopic skills. The courses include training course in operative laparoscopy, colorectal surgery and laparoscopic suturing skills. Recently a module for training in laparoscopic hernia has been developed. These courses are specially designed to impart knowledge and hands on experience to the postgraduate students, senior residents and general practicing surgeons. The course in basic laparoscopic skills is relevant to all the surgical specialties including gynecology, urology, pediatric surgery, surgical oncology, gastrointestinal surgery etc.
The first training course for basic laparoscopic skills was inaugurated on 26th March 2007 by Prof. Gerhard Buess, Prof. B.M.L.Kapur (Former Professor & Head, Department of Surgical Disciplines, AIIMS) and Prof. M.C.Misra. In the last one and half year 15 courses have been conducted and more than 150 surgeons and resident doctors from various Medical Colleges have been imparted training. The demand for participation in the training course has been already oversubscribed and there is a waiting list of 6 months. The training module has been adjudged by far the best in the world.
The training centre at AIIMS is the first of its kind not only in India but whole of South Asia. This will give enormous opportunity to aspiring laparoscopic surgeons from all over India, South Asia and rest of the World to have hands on training to learn and master the laparoscopic skills."
Prof MC Misra, MBBS, MS, FACS, FAMS, FRCS (Glasg.)
Former Director & Head founder course
Director Professor and Head,
Former Chief, JPN Apex Trauma Centre
AIIMS, New Delhi, India
