ISSSTE Regional Hospital Implements Robotic Surgery Plan in León; highlights training of specialists – Diario Basta!

Visits

• During the first day of the launch of the Da Vinci robot at the Regional Hospital of León, Guanajuato, two patients diagnosed with right kidney cancer and cancer in the uterus benefited. Both are recovering
• The ISSSTE medical oncologist, Miguel Farías Alarcón, a pioneer in robotic surgery in Mexico, explained that the training that specialists receive in these interventions involves knowing the operation and components of the robot; assembly and placement in each type of procedure; practice with the simulator integrated into the equipment, as well as train in the company of an expert.

WRITING

Mexico City, October 30, 2025.- The Regional Hospital (HR) of León, Guanajuato, attached to the Institute of Security and Social Services of State Workers (ISSSTE), headed by general director Martí Batres Guadarrama, joined the Robotic Surgery Plan with the launch of the Da Vinci robot for the intervention of two patients diagnosed with right kidney cancer and cancer in the uterus.

The implementation of this technology goes hand in hand with the training led by the pioneer doctor of robotic surgery in Mexico, Miguel Farías Alarcónwho has trained specialists in oncology, urology and gynecology from all over the country, many of them belonging to the ISSSTE.

“I am an oncological surgeon and I have performed more than 300 oncological surgeries with Da Vinci robots, of which more than 80 percent have been at the Institute, proudly trained in the organization. But we not only do surgeries, but we also provide training to doctors in training and doctors assigned to ISSSTE,” he indicated.

With 25 years of experience at the Institute, Farías Alarcón explained that the training is divided into four phases: the presentation of the robot, its operation and components; the explanation of its assembly and placement in each type of procedures; practice with the simulator integrated into the robot; and finally, in the performance of first surgeries with the accompaniment of experts on the subject.

“The ideal is to have 15 surgeries in 90 days to be able to have the skill and certification. This certification is sent from the United States, where the Da Vinci robot is made, and after this, each of the trained doctors can schedule their surgeries in each of the units,” he indicated.

At the ISSSTE HR in León, the first doctor to receive the training was the head of the Oncology service and coordinator of the Robotics serviceOscar Escalera Vargas, who celebrated the arrival of the new equipment to perform high-precision, minimally invasive and quick recovery interventions, compared to conventional or laparoscopic operations.

“We will be able to benefit a good number of beneficiaries with certain diagnoses in which the robot has a great advantage: less surgical time, less bleeding, fewer days of hospitalization,” he emphasized.

During the first two robotic surgeries performed at the ISSSTE HR in León Guanajuato, Farías Alarcón managed the robot, while doctor Escalera Vargas assisted the procedures.

The first patient operated on, 68 years old, diagnosed with right kidney cancer, underwent a radical nephrectomy on the same side, which consists of the removal of the kidney and the lymph nodes surrounding this organ. The second beneficiary who underwent surgery, 67 years old, had her womb removed due to the presence of cancer in the uterus. Both are in recovery.