The Regional Cancer Centre in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram has reportedly received $7 million in funding to put up a robotic surgery facility, which is a first in a public hospital in India.

Inaugurated this week, the robotic surgery unit was established through the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. The same programme is helping set up a similar facility at Malabar Cancer Centre. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Until recently, robot-assisted surgery (RAS) as part of cancer treatment is only accessible in big hospitals in the country and abroad. In the state of Kerala, only three health institutions offer the service, namely Apollo Adlux Hospital, Amrita Hospital, and Aster Medcity – all using the da Vinci Surgical System by American company Intuitive Surgical.

THE LARGER TREND

As mentioned, robotic surgery, which is regarded for lesser pain, shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery for patients, is largely offered in major and private hospitals and health facilities. The Apollo Institute of Robotic Surgery of Apollo Hospitals and Max Healthcare's Max Institute of Robotic Surgery offer the largest robotic surgery programmes in the country, making use of different robotic surgery systems including da Vinci, Renaissance Robotic Technology, and CORI Surgical System by Smith+Nephew. 

The private Venkateshwar Hospital in Delhi adopts the Hugo RAS System while another private institution, Swagat Hospitals in India's northeast, runs a robotic surgery theatre featuring CMR Surgical's Versius System.

As early as 2002, RAS has been done in India, mostly using Intuitive's da Vinci system, which remains the local market leader. This type of procedure is commonly done in areas such as gastrology, urology, and gynaecology. Some spinal and cardiothoracic operations have also been performed using robotic systems. This year, the Indian RAS market is reportedly projected to be worth around $300 million. 

Intuitive India's general manager and vice president Mandeep Singh Kumar in a media interview said they are expecting a post-COVID surge in demand for RAS, noting that some are coming from standalone hospitals and hospitals outside tier-1 cities that are also looking to benefit from shorter recovery times it provides. 

Taking a piece out of this growing market with a more affordable alternative, Dr Sudhir Srivastava, a cardiologist who previously worked on the Da Vinci system, has come out with the locally made SSI Mantra. Priced just about a third of Intuitive's offering, the SSI Mantra was first commercially launched in 2021 and is targeting to make and sell over 1,000 units by the end of the decade. It is currently installed and live at five hospitals in the country: Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute in New Delhi, Continental Hospital in Hyderabad, Sanjeevani CBCC USA Cancer Hospital in Raipur, Hindustan Hospital in Coimbatore and Cytocure Hospital in Mumbai.