I had nurtured a dream for a long time to establish a centre of excellence for Laparoscopic Training in the Department of Surgical Disciplines, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. This turned into reality when I met Prof. Gerhard Buess during my visit to Tuebingen, Germany in July 2006. Prof. Gerhard Buess expressed his concern about lack of proper structured hands - on skill training in the field of minimal access surgery and the idea of establishing a training centre at AIIMS, New Delhi evolved. Dr. V.K. Bansal Assistant Professor in Surgery had an opportunity to visit and work closely with Prof. Buess's Minimal Invasive Surgery Training Centre in the University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany thus maturing the whole process of establishing such a centre in New Delhi.

Prof. Gerhard Buess

26th March, 2007 should be deemed a red-letter day in the history of Department of Surgical Disciplines, AIIMS, New Delhi, when the Centre was established with the State of the Art Minimally Invasive Surgery Training Centre within the Department of Surgical Disciplines, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Richard Wolf, Germany, has donated all the equipment and instruments for the Training Centre through an educational grant.

The training centre was set up in close co-operation with Prof. Gerhard Buess, Professor of Surgery and Director, Section of Minimally Invasive Surgery, University of Tuebingen, Germany. The principal objective of the Training Centre is to offer basic and advance courses for learning operative laparoscopic skills. The courses include Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and the techniques of endoscopic suturing. These courses are specially designed to impart knowledge and hands on experience to the postgraduate students in surgery, senior residents and general practicing surgeons. The course in basic laparoscopic skills is relevant to all the surgical specialties including gynecology, urology, pediatric surgery, surgical oncology, gastrointestinal surgery etc.

The first training course for basic laparoscopic skills was inaugurated on 26th March 2007 by Prof. Gerhard Buess, Prof. B.M.L.Kapur (Former Professor & Head, Department of Surgical Disciplines, AIIMS) and Prof. M.C.Misra. Ten participants surgeons were imparted intensive hands-on training in basic laparoscopic skills and endoscopic suturing. During the inaugural course at the centre, Prof. Buess and his colleague Mrs. L. Mailander (Course Director at the Tuebingen Centre) demonstrated the handling of instruments and suturing and knotting techniques on the animal organs. A live workshop was also organized on this occasion where 300 delegates participated. Mr. Alfons Notheis, the CEO of Richard Wolf GmbH, Germany graced the inauguration with his presence. The demand for participation in the training course has been already oversubscribed and there is a waiting list of 6 months. The training module has been adjudged by far the best in the world.

Mrs. L.Mailander

The training centre at AIIMS is the first of its kind not only in India but whole of South Asia. This will give enormous opportunity to aspiring laparoscopic surgeons from all over India, South East Asia and rest of the World to have hands on training to learn and master the laparoscopic skills

Prof MC Misra, MBBS, MS, FACS, FAMS, FRCS (Glasg.)
Professor and Head,
Department of Surgical Disciplines
Chief, JPN Apex Trauma Centre
AIIMS, New Delhi