A robot in every Hong Kong hospital? One man’s vision to tackle surgeon shortfall

Professor nominated in innovation category of Hong Kong Spirit Awards for making a difference in the healthcare system. Researcher plans to put at least one affordable, safe and effective surgical robot in every hospital in the country. — SCMP

Professor Samuel Au Kwok-wai envisions a future powered by medical robots which can tackle the shortfall of surgeons in Hong Kong. And he intends to build them himself.

The researcher from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) said he was concerned that the demand for surgeons’ services kept outstripping supply, not only locally but also in mainland China, with an ageing population and more elderly people needing surgery, while training in the field remained inadequate.