Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) will be performing the first ever robot assisted surgery in South India.
The facility is the third robotic facility in Hyderabad, India, which costs around Rs.10 crore. The facility would be functional from the 26th of June 2011. Cardiac and non-cardiac procedures would be performed at the facility. The facility was set up with the aim of treating patients suffering from kidney problems, gynaecological diseases, gastro intestinal surgery and liver resections. Dr. BhaskarRao, MD of the hospital stated that the setting up of the facility was a collaborative effort with the Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI), Michigan, USA. He added that a live workshop would be organised on the 29th of June and robotic surgeries would be conducted from the 26th of June to the 2nd of July; Dr. James Peabody from the VUI would be conducting the urological surgeries.
Dr. Rao stated that the main advantage of robotic assisted surgery was small incisions and faster recovery. Post-operative care becomes much easier and cost-effective for the patient. Other benefits from robotic surgery were minimum blood loss, lesser pain and shorter hospital stay. He added that the cost- wise robotic surgery was on par with other laparoscopic procedures. Currently, a number of patients travel abroad to get robotic surgery done. With KIMS introducing the set up in India, patients can save a lot of time and money by getting the surgery done at their hometown itself.