Surgical solution: Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow (centre) opens the Minimal Access Surgery Training Centre at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

The new Minimal Access Surgery Training Centre at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital opened today marking an important milestone in Hong Kong's development of minimal-access surgery.

The EndoLap Operating Room is equipped with high-definition endo-laparoscopic surgical equipment for hands-on training. It will greatly improve the quality and quantity of training.

The first EndoLap Operating Room was established in 2005 which further combines medical and surgical technology, and enables luminal and peritoneal surgery to be performed at the same time.

Endo-laparoscopic surgery can help lessen patients' pain, scarring, recovery time, and enhance surgery safety and scope.

The Surgical Virtual Reality Laboratory is also a new set-up in the training centre. It utilises Computerised Tomographic Scanning and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to facilitate medical virtual reality techniques, like 3D images, computerised and reality modelling of human organs and tissues, and surgical navigation.

These innovative techniques can be used in medical training, the research and development of advanced surgery, and to enhance the accuracy and safety of complicated surgery.