Robotic surgery fast gaining popularity, acceptance: Experts

Mussourie (Uttarakhand), May 9 (IANS) More and more government-run hospitals and cancer institutes are increasingly adopting robotic surgery, experts in the field have said while informing that this reflected the growing acceptance of this form of surgery, which was already popular in many parts of the world.

At a recent meet of robotic surgeons in Mussoorie, Ravi Kant, Director and CEO of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh said his institute plans to train over 100 surgeons in robotic surgery over the next few years.

"In North India alone there are six surgical robots in use in four of the best known government hospitals in the region - AIIMS at New Delhi, Rishikesh and Jodhpur; PGI, Chandigarh and Delhi Cancer Society hospital, Delhi" he informed.

"Robotic surgery scores over both traditional and laparoscopic surgery because of the precision it brings to complex surgical procedures," he told IANS. Over 120 robotic surgeons had gathered at this picturesque hill station in Uttarakhand at the 10th bi-annual Robotic Surgeons Council meet organized by Vattikuti Foundation.

Vattikuti Foundation's remit is to encourage excellence in robotic surgery by encouraging super specialist surgeons by training themselves as accomplished robotic surgeons. The Foundation offers digital training resources besides conducting webinars on robotic surgery, the organizers informed.

Experts added that robotic surgery added precision in a surgical procedure which in turn adds tremendous value to patients suffering from cancer of various body organs, soft tissue and tumours. Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation said the biggest benefit of a patient recovering quickly following a robotic surgery is making available the hospital bed to another needy patient.

Indian hospitals have over 65 surgical robots and over 350 trained robotic surgeons. Bhandari who also serves as Director of Research at Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, said Vattikuti Foundation acted as a catalyst in fueling the growth of robotic surgery in the last 7-8 years by helping surgeons to become accomplished in the new technology. Many Indian surgeons have created robotic surgery procedures that have been adopted by surgeons world-wide.

The Detroit-based Foundation has so far awarded one-year Vattikuti fellowships to nearly 30 specialist surgeons with post-graduate qualifications in surgery. The Vattikuti fellows master robotic surgery under the mentorship of an experienced surgeon in a hospital as part of this fully-paid fellowship.

Since it started on January 26, 2018, the 1,000-bed AIIMS-Rishikesh has already conducted nearly 50 Robotic Surgery procedures in Gynaecology, Urology and general surgery on patients hailing from Uttarkhand.

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