(VOVworld) – Associate Professor Nguyen Van Thach is head of the Spinal Surgery Department and Deputy Director of the Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi. He was the first person to successfully perform robot-assisted spinal surgery in Southeast Asia. He was among the individuals honored at the 11^th Glory Vietnam program.

Thach spent 7 years studying traumato – orthopedics in Germany. Since then he has been seeking new ways to treat patients with herniated disk and spinal problems. Thach says: “The responsibility of a doctor is to cure as many patients as possible. People with spinal cord injuries must be operated on early; otherwise they could be paralyzed or even die. The patients will be invalids if they are just cast in plaster - a burden on their families and society. So I consider spinal surgery as emergency surgery.”

Since the Spinal Surgery Department was established in 2007, Thach and his colleagues have successfully applied advanced treatment methods like high-frequency radio waves to treat dislocated herniated disks and endoscopic surgery to treat vertebral compression fractures as a result of osteoporosis. In 2012, Thach was the first doctor in Southeast Asia to perform a robot-assisted spinal surgery. He says: “Robot-assisted spinal surgery is safe, accurate and effective. My dream is to train the next generation of doctors in spinal and herniated disk surgery.”

Nguyen Nhu Trang is one of the 200 patients who have had robot-assisted spinal surgery. Her Mother Nguyen Thi Mai Nhung says: “We were lucky because my daughter was operated on by doctor Thach. A day before the operation, the doctors met and explained to my daughter what the surgery was going to be like. Although doctor Thach was very busy, he came every day to examine my daughter. My daughter’s operation was a success and we are grateful to the doctors here.”

Over the last 10 years, doctor Thach has operated on thousands of people with spinal problems and no case has shown complications. Thach has been awarded the Labor Order, third class, and the title People’s Physician. Director of Viet Duc Hospital Nguyen Tien Quyet says: “Doctor Thach is always eager to acquire new knowledge and apply advanced technology in spinal surgery. Spinal cord injuries are now very common and sometimes we carry out 15 surgeries a day. Doctor Thach has helped to train many young doctors in spinal surgery.”