Surgeon Diego González Honoured as Doctor Honoris Causa at UMH: 'Every Week I Face Almost Science Fiction Cases'

Surgeon Diego González Rivas, creator of the uniportal technique for performing minimally invasive thoracic operations, was honoured this Friday as Doctor 'Honoris Causa' by the Miguel Hernández University (UMH). In his statements after the ceremony, the Galician physician spoke about the nature of his work, stating that 'every week' he tackles cases of 'enormous complexity', some of which are 'almost science fiction'.

When asked about the most complex case he has encountered, the surgeon could not provide a specific answer, although he cited the example of a girl who had a key inside her lung for two years in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

'No one dared to remove it and she was dying. By chance, they saw me on TV, came to the hospital, and I operated on her. It was a very spectacular case because it is unimaginable in first-world countries,' he explained.

He also referred to other interventions, such as the one performed in northern China on a prisoner who attempted suicide by stabbing himself in the aorta, or when he saved the life of a ten-year-old girl who was being abused and had a lung pierced 'from side to side' by a rib, which he operated on using the uniportal technique with a 'tiny incision'.

'She sent me a video days later, happy. I am fortunate to be able to face these cases and solve them, which is what ultimately gives me the most gratification,' the surgeon recounted.

On another note, regarding the Diego González Rivas Foundation—which bears his name and aims to bring minimally invasive surgery to developing countries and low-income families—the doctor mentioned that there are 'many projects for the future'.

Among them are missions in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Angola in Africa, using a mobile operating unit that was already used last year in Ghana. There are also plans to open centres of excellence in Mexico or Costa Rica in the future.

He also highlighted the launch of a new robot in Shanghai (China), which will be a 'real revolution', and announced that by the end of March, something 'historic' will be done with this tool. 'The foundation will be fundamental in the coming years,' he emphasised.

In this regard, González Rivas believes that medicine is advancing 'at a dizzying pace' since the implementation of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), and predicted that 'soon' the technology developed in China's largest city will arrive in Spain.

He also pointed out other factors 'that will be definitive in the future', such as the implementation of telesurgery, for example, operating on a patient in Finland remotely without being physically present.

Furthermore, he considers that the 'talent' of a healthcare professional, 'even if innate, is worthless if hours are not put in', and believes that his profession is 'a science of dedication and passion'.

'Surgery is an act of repetition and the best surgeons are those who operate the most. That's why I always say that one must work very hard, operate a lot, and dedicate oneself greatly to become a better doctor. Not only in surgery, but in medicine,' he stated.

However, he stressed that, despite having 'all the technology in the world', a healthcare professional 'must never lose sight of their empathy with the patient, being human, knowing how to treat and diagnose them as a doctor'. Therefore, he advocates using these new practices 'as just another tool in the arsenal of doctors'.