One thousand four hundred delegates from 32 countries have filled the MCEC, to learn about the latest advances in robotic surgery technology and education from hundreds of the world’s top surgeons and medical experts.

Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs Bronwyn Halfpenny officially opened the three-day conference on Monday, and Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and nurse, Ged Kearney MP will address 50 nurses at the Nursing and Allied Health session.

“It’s very exciting for Melbourne to be hosting this global robotics conference, in what is the first time it’s being held in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Ged Kearney.

“Today, our wonderful Victorian nurses and allied health professionals have a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills by learning from leading robotic surgery professionals from around the world.”

Dr Vipul Patel, Executive Director of SRS, said the world's top surgical leaders will present more than 60 abstracts containing groundbreaking research, share clinical experiences, and engage in collaborative panel discussions and workshops that will help shape the future of healthcare.

“At a time when the world is facing the most challenging health circumstances in decades, this event will help guide the conversation around the transformative health outcomes associated with robotic surgical interventions,” Dr Patel said.

“Delegates are able to view live demonstrations, see first-hand the advances in the manufacture and development of synthetic organs, to replace the use of live animals and cadavers in surgical training, and listen to presentations from global health leaders on a diverse range of topics including the place of artificial intelligence in surgery and challenges that cyber security presents.”

Professor Tony Costello, founder of the International Medical Robotics Academy (IMRA) and one of the first people in the world to perform robotic surgery, addressed the conference, discussing the significant patient benefits from robotic assisted surgery.

“Robotic surgery devices are minimally invasive and increase a surgeon’s movement, precision and accuracy,” Professor Costello said.

“Robotic surgery is proven to reduce complications, readmissions, length of hospital stay and blood loss. There is also a reduced risk of surgical site infection. As more surgical robots are introduced to the market, it will become more competitive and affordable, ideally this will allow increased adoption of robotic technology in Australia and the further rollout of surgical robots in public hospitals.”

For more information about the conference, including a full list of speakers and agenda, visit: https://srobotics.org/