Professor Dr. Sucanday Speaks at Gadjah Mada University Department of Surgery for 2025 Grandrounds

Application and adoption of robotic surgery for digestive and hepatopancreatobiliary diseases are expanding, initially in the Western countries and now entering Asia Pacific region. Information on robotic surgery is at high demand not only in developed countries but also in placed where healthcare reform is at its hike. Major tertiary hospitals and teaching institution across the globe are examining various available robotic systems on the market. Bedside Intuitive Surgical Inc, there have been more than 30 robotic companies from many countries including Japan, Korea, China, Spain, Germany, and India offering unique features, functionality, and costs. With the current trend in mind, robotic surgery is likely replacing laparoscopy in the next 5-10 years.

As one of the oldest medical teaching institutions in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta is also showing strong clinical and academic interests in robotic surgery. As a Department of Surgery with a strong minimally invasive laparoscopic background in gastrointestinal surgery, it seems logical that robotic surgery would be their next progress.  The teaching hospital of Gadjah Mada University called Dr. Sardjito hospital is the largest general hospital in central Java, serving more than 50 millions of inhabitants. With such a wide area of catchment and high-volume of complex surgical cases being referred to Dr. Sardjito Hospital, the need of robotic surgery program for complex digestive surgery is obvious.

In the summer of 2025, Professor Sucandy was invited by his colleague Dr. Yuda Handaya who is the head of Department of Surgery to deliver a Grandrounds lecture titled “ Applications of Robotic Surgery in Hepatopancreatobiliary Diseases”.  The lecture took place at the Department of Surgery of Dr. Sardjito hospital, attended by surgical staff, digestive surgery fellows, general surgery residents, medical students, and five visiting scholars from Europe. The lecture was broadcasted nationally to other centers such as University of Indonesia as a hybrid program using the zoom platform and in person lecture. Dr Sucandy shared the journey and outcomes of robotic hepatobiliary surgery in the United States at AdventHealth Tampa, Florida. A lively discussion followed the grandrounds lecture with stimulating questions for surgical trainees of Gadjah Mada University School of Medicine.  The administrators of Dr. Sardjito Hospital also had a meeting with Professor Sucandy after the Grandrounds lecture to explore further future potential of starting a robotic surgery program in Yogyakarta. Dedicated operating rooms for robotic surgery had been prepared for this future program.