USNS Mercy surgical team, Sri Lankan surgical team perform first robot-assisted surgery aboard a ship
TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka (May 4, 2018) Cmdr. Tamara Worlton (right), a surgeon assigned to Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) for Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18) and Dr. Vyramuthu Varanitharan (left), a Sri Lankan general surgeon at Base Hospital Mutur, Sri Lankan from Base Hospital Mutur, prepare to extract the gallbladder during the first robot-assisted surgery on a patient while aboard the Mercy using the Da Vinci XI Robot Surgical System. PP18’s mission is to work collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific Region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 13th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelsey L. Adams/Released)
