Iran to Launch 2 Robotic Surgery Training Centers in Indonesia
Following the initial memorandum of cooperation between Iran and Indonesia in the field of medical equipment and the interest of the then Indonesian Health Minister in 2018 to use the Iran-made remote robotic surgery system named Sina, a joint memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian health ministry, the universities of Padjadjaran and Gadjah Mada, and two Indonesian hospitals, and the Indonesian Indopharma Company and the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Nanotechnology Development Headquarters, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran's Advanced Clinical Skills Training Center, Sina Robotics and Medical Innovation Company was signed worth 3.8 million euros in 2021.
Based on the memorandum, it was decided that the parties would establish two training centers for advanced skills in remote robotic surgery based on the Sina remote robotic surgery system in two Indonesian hospitals through joint ventures.
It was also decided that the parties will carry out training in a simulated environment, training in an artificial environment, training on live animals and finally conduct clinical studies on volunteer patients in Indonesia during a coherent 4-year program until 2025 to finally prepare the product for industrial production, obtain the necessary licenses in Iran and Indonesia, and finally prepare the product for clinical use in both countries and consequently in the ASEAN area (an intergovernmental organization of ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam).
Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Issa Zar’epour, who is the head of Iran-Indonesia Joint Economic Commission, has announced the delivery of a first batch of telesurgical robots developed and manufactured in Tehran to Jakarta.
He said that more than 100 Indonesian surgeons have been trained to use the robots, which are named Sina after the prominent Iranian polymath Ibn Sina (Avicenna), adding that the devices have been manufactured by Iranian knowledge-based companies and experts.
According to the minister, Iran and Indonesia have stressed the need to boost scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries, specially in the field of medical equipment.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Iranian President Ebrahim Rayeesi departed Tehran for Indonesia for a two-day state visit which he described as a turning point in the development of ties between the two Muslim nations.
During the trip, Tehran and Jakarta signed 11 cooperation documents and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to expand economic and political relations in various fields.
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