The second cluster HMDP Update was successfully organized on 26 January 2005. Once again, this has allowed our HMDP awardees who have returned from their fellowships to share their learning experience with other staff in the cluster.

The theme surrounded "Robotic Surgery". We saw how robotic surgery image guidance system was to bring medical and nursing care to greater heights in specific areas such as in O&G and in Sinus Surgery. The awardees shared their observations and experiences in using the Da Vinci robotic surgical system, automatic endoscopic system for optimal positioning (AESOP) robotic system, image-guided functional endoscopic sinus surgery (IG-FESS) at the overseas training centres.

The Update was well attended. There were plentiful of interaction between different grades of staff and between staff in the various institutions of the cluster.

The following staff have delightfully shared their HMDP learning experiences at the Update.

HMDP Fellowship in Endoscopic Sinus and Skull Base Surgery (including the use of image guidance systems)
St Paul’s Sinus Centre
Vancover Canada
1^st August 2003 to 31^st July 2004

HMDP Attachment on Advanced Operative Technique in Robotic Surgery (O&G)
University of Texas Medical Branch
Texas USA
29^th March 2004 to 21^st May 2004

HMDP Attachment on Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery (General Surgery)
Hackensack University Medical Centre
USA
29^th March 2004 to 30^th May 2004