Times of India
08 May 2009
By Dipti Barve
Pune, India

A new training centre and knowledge laboratory for orthopaedic surgeons will be started in Sancheti Hospital today. It is the first–of–its–kind laboratory in India. It will boast of a state–of–the–art surgical skills laboratory, as per the specifications laid by AO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur osteosynthesefragen) International. This will include bone models and the latest AO instrumentation from Switzerland. These facilities will prove to be a boon for Orthopaedic surgeons from Pune, other cities in Maharashtra and all over India.

The AO Training Centre and AO Knowledge Laboratory will be inaugurated at the hands of Prof Chris Van Der Werken, president, AO International.

Sancheti Hospital will also host International AO fellows visiting this centre for fellowship from all over the world. The centre is located on the fifth floor of Sancheti Hospital and has hi–tech equipment and teleconferencing facilities. A centrally air conditioned conference hall will help local surgeons interact with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

The availability of world class implants and instrumentation from AO will offer added benefits to complex trauma cases and accident victims.

“This training centre will be helpful for the orthopaedic surgeons learning the latest trends and technology in bone implants. They can also communicate with experts across the world. Surgeons can also learn the mores of complicated implant surgery through the help of the stimulator which is based on navigation technology. The knowledge laboratory will be useful for getting any kind of reference related to implants”, said Dr Uday Vaidya , head of Administration of Sancheti Institute for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.

The Sancheti Institute for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation has being selected as one of the key centres for the training of surgeons by the AO group. It is indeed a feather in the city’s cap.

What is Ao?
AO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur osteosynthesefragen) was formed in 1958 in Davos, Switzerland by a group of Swiss surgeons.The AO foundation is a medically guided non–profit organisation led by an international group of surgeons specialising in the treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal system. It offers the affiliated surgeons global networking opportunities and knowledge services.