LAHORE: Senior doctors from Singapore performed on Tuesday advanced laparoscopic procedures, including bariatric (weight loss) surgery, on some patients at Jinnah Hospital.

This is the first time the operations were conducted in a public sector health facility in the country and the purpose was to introduce advanced techniques in laparoscopy and train local doctors, according to a senior doctor.

Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital had organised a two-day advanced laparoscopy workshop at the institute and over 150 surgeons from Pakistan and abroad attended it.

Associate professor of surgical unit-I Dr Ehsanur Rehman told Dawn on the concluding day of the workshop that Singaporean doctors performed seven advanced laparoscopic surgeries during the two-day workshop.

He said the AIMC and National University Hospital, Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to further collaborate in the field of advanced laparoscopic surgeries to help train local doctors in modern techniques.

Dr Rehman said the foreign doctors also carried out bariatric surgery, which was the first of its kind procedure in any public sector hospital in the country.