Affordable Technologies Point Toward Increased Access to Surgical Care & Surgical Training
"You showed the world that anything can be done in the rural hospital, in Mongolia, and in Tov Aimag province."
- Hospital Director, Tov Aimag
The University of Utah teamed up with GIBLIB to conduct live VR 360 broadcast of its laparoscopic training in Mongolia, demonstrating the power of ultra-low-cost laparoscopic technologies in tandem with ultra-affordable Google Cardboard. The results? 47 countries from Mexico to Singapore tuned in to watch the laparoscopic cholecysectomy team taught by US & Mongolian Surgeons.
Utah & GIBLIB took live questions from a global classroom, replying to questions about the operation in real time.
To broacast a clear signal, IT officers at the hospital strung CAT5 wire from across a courtyard to the next building where the OR was, and every computer disconnected from the internet so signal strength would be at maximum strength.
Of 952 unique views, 1 in 6 people watching did so from Mongolia (the Minister of Health ran her Google headset over to the country's Prime Minister) and the same number tuned in from the University of Utah. The significance of affordable technologies to discrupt cost while radically expanding access cannot be stated for Mongolia and we hope for many others, even our own.
