Medical staff members from Shanxi Eye Hospital in Taiyuan city broadcast a cataract surgical procedure via a 5G network to hospitals in Chengdu, Yuncheng and Changzhi cities, on Nov 26. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Shanxi province's first 5G-driven tele-eye surgery was carried out in Shanxi Eye Hospital on Nov 26.

Medical staff members of the hospital broadcast the cataract surgery to Yuncheng Eye Hospital and Changzhi People's Hospital 300 kilometers away -- and to Yinhai Eye Hospital affiliated to Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine some 1,300 km away -- through the 5G network, carrying out case analysis with medical experts from the latter. 

Sun Bin, director of the Shanxi Eye Hospital, said that the high transmission rate of 5G and a transmission delay of less than 0.1 second brought better telemedicine services to patients. 

"5G will greatly speed up disease diagnosis, images and picture transmissions and operation guidance. Also, doctors in hospital will learn about their patients' condition in advance and gain time for follow-up treatment through simultaneous transmissions of multiple high-definition live videos from ambulances equipped with 5G technology," Sun added. 

In addition, 5G technology can link education and high-quality medical resources to remote and less developed regions, he added. 

Once a 5G fast transmission channel is established, high-definition telemedicine and high-speed medical imaging transmissions and sharing allow patients across the country to receive the most advanced ophthalmology clinic services at nearby hospitals, according to Sun. 

Shanxi Eye Hospital will next develop a smart hospital based on 5G information technology -- together with the Shanxi branch of China Telecommunications Co and Visionvera Medical & Health Co based in Zhejiang province -- after a trilateral partnership was reached on the same day. 

The smart hospital project will provide 5G telemedicine services to more than 20 hospitals in Shanxi province. 

Early this September, Shanxi Provincial Government issued a consultation paper on accelerating the development of 5G the industry, which clarified that 5G-based intelligent medicine will focus on telemedicine, tele-monitoring and tele-robotic surgery.

Officials said the cooperation between Shanxi Eye Hospital, the Shanxi branch of China Telecommunications Co and Visionvera Medical & Health Co will further promote the construction of a 5G-oriented smart hospital service system in Shanxi. 

It will provide experience and new methods for the exploration and development of smart hospitals in the province, they added.