SHANGHAI, Nov. 16  In a groundbreaking medical achievement,  the Morocco surgeon Youness Ahallal successfully performed a remote prostate cancer surgery by using China's Toumai Robot, which took place in Shanghai last Saturday, for a patient in Casablanca, Morocco, over a distance of 12,000 kilometers.

Taking only about two hours, the surgery was completed at the Global Remote Command Center of MicroPort MedBot in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, with a latency of just over 100 milliseconds, demonstrating the high precision and stability of the Toumai Robot.

This operation, spanning Asia and Africa with a two-way communication distance exceeding 30,000 kilometers, has set a new world record for the longest-distance remote human surgery. It follows another milestone in October, where the Toumai Robot assisted in a surgery with a two-way transmission distance of 27,000 kilometers from Shanghai to Benin, Africa.

On that day, Prof.Peter Wiklund, a globally renowned expert in robotic surgery, was present to witness the entire surgical procedure. Prof.Wiklund, who is affiliated with Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, possesses over 20 years of experience in robotic surgery. He expressed to the Chinese media that telesurgery will revolutionize surgical procedures, especially by addressing disparities in surgical expertise and the scarcity of resources in remote areas. In the foreseeable future, remote surgery is expected to be widely implemented globally, significantly transforming the methodologies of surgical practice and the education and training systems.

According to Youness Ahallal, the surgeon who operated from Shanghai, the surgery's real-time video was clear and smooth, relying on standard broadband connections, with the mechanical arm responding swiftly and stably. Having performed dozens of surgeries assisted by the Toumai Robot,Ahallal praised its unmatched flexibility, precision, and stability, which he said are crucial for executing complex, high-difficulty operations.

Remote surgery, facilitated by advanced communication and robotic technologies, allows patients worldwide to access top-tier surgeons without international travel. It also enables senior surgeons to mentor junior colleagues in high-difficulty surgeries remotely.

He Chao, President of MicroPort MedBot, the developer of the Toumai Robot, told Xinhua that this product has aided in over 250 5G ultra-long-distance surgeries with a 100 percent success rate, covering distances over 400,000 kilometers and setting more than 20 world records, proving its system's stability, technical reliability, and clinical safety across various countries and conditions.

This surgery did not use 5G network, and both the remote and local ends used ordinary broadband networks in their respective locations. "Remote technology has been a historical mission for us over a long period, which will bring disruptive changes to future medical services. Our goal is to make remote surgery a routine practice," he said.

The Toumai Robot, which received EU CE certification (MDR) in May, is the only laparoscopic surgery robot from Asia approved for the EU market, suitable for urology, general surgery, thoracic surgery, and gynecological endoscopic procedures.

He expects that the company's overseas market share will become a new growth driver, especially in the European market, creating significant value for investors and contributing to the advancement of global health.