Using robot he built to treat cancer earns Chinese University surgeon Spirit of Hong Kong Awards nomination in innovation category
- Professor Philip Chiu pioneered work in treatment of gastrointestinal cancer
- The academic seeks medical advances that limit suffering of his patients
Whenever Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan paints, he wants to make sure every brush stroke and every tiny dab of colour are in the right place.
“In Chinese painting, you cannot afford too many errors,” he said. “I like accuracy.”
An academic and a surgeon, Chiu said the quest for precision was also central to his practice, and he believed a higher degree of skill and precision could mean less suffering for his patients.
He craves medical advances to help patients turn a malignant condition into a more manageable one.
By using an endoscope, Chiu is able to operate on a patient through their orifices and can remove a tumour without leaving any scars on the body, using a surgical instrument made to pass through the endoscope to treat the condition directly.