The 2026 Belt & Road Minimally Invasive Liver Surgery Training Course commenced at West China Hospital of Sichuan University (WCHSCU) on March 29, 2026. Twenty hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeons from 11 Belt and Road countries, including Italy, Kenya, and Thailand, are participating in the three-week program.
The program is guided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and jointly organized by the Sichuan Medical Technology Innovation Research Association, WCHSCU, and the Chinese Journal of Bases and Clinics in General Surgery. Since its inception in 2023, the project has been held for four consecutive years, training a total of 93 surgeons from 24 countries. According to organizers, several participants have achieved their respective home countries' first successful minimally invasive liver procedures following previous editions of the training.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by Dong Jiahong, Dean of the School of Clinical Medicine at Tsinghua University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Lin Xi, Deputy Director of the Exchange and Cooperation Division of the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province; Roberto Cammarata, a trainee from Italy; and Cheng Yongzhong, Party Secretary of WCHSCU. Wu Hong, Vice President of WCHSCU, outlined the program agenda, while Yang Jiayin, Professor at the Liver Transplant Center, presided over the ceremony. The event also included the launch of the Belt and Road Live Surgery Broadcast Initiative, an academic exchange session on cutting-edge liver minimally invasive techniques, and a minimally invasive surgery video competition hosted by the Chinese Journal of Bases and Clinics in General Surgery.
Professor Wu Hong noted that while the curriculum continues to emphasize laparoscopic techniques, this year's program has expanded its focus to include robotic surgery training and tele-robotic surgical collaboration. The training will utilize the West China International Robotic Tele-Surgery Control Center, established on March 21, to conduct live remote surgical demonstrations and operational exercises. International experts from countries such as Singapore and Portugal have also been invited to join the teaching faculty.
West China Hospital reported that the cumulative efforts of the training program have fostered a sustained cooperation mechanism encompassing technical exchange, talent development, and scientific research. In February, a team led by Professor Wu Hong visited Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt for academic and surgical exchanges. During the visit, the West China team collaborated with Egyptian surgeons to perform three complex laparoscopic liver resections at Almowasaa Hospital, including Egypt's first indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence-navigated laparoscopic hepatectomy. Alexandria University has sent delegates to the Chengdu-based training program for four consecutive years. The hospital reported that its rate of minimally invasive liver surgeries has risen from less than 3% in July 2023 to 28% currently.
Shifting from "training export" to "system co-development," West China Hospital continues to advance China's high-end minimally invasive surgical techniques to the world, laying a solid foundation for building a high-level international medical technology cooperation network.
