Using a 5G-powered robot, doctors in a hospital in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, performed an ultrasound scan on Sunday for a patient more than 400 km away in the region's Nyainrong County.

 

The doctors with the Tibet regional people's hospital in Lhasa operated a robotic arm via a 5G network to scan the patient, a woman suffering postpartum swelling in the Nyainrong County people's hospital, and used real-time ultrasound images to diagnose her with serous cavity effusion.

 

It is believed to be the first robot-assisted ultrasound examination conducted in Tibet.

 

The Lhasa doctors also provided treatment for the patient.

 

Chen Hu, executive vice director of the Tibet regional people's hospital, said the patient had originally planned to transfer to an upper-level hospital, but using the robot helped slash the time for diagnosis and treament from two days to just 10 minutes.

 

Local authorities in Tibet are developing 5G-powered telemedicine to provide better medical services to its residents, especially those in its remote areas with limited medical resources.