NEW DELHI: The robotic surgery OT in the Super Specialty Block of Safdarjang Hospital was made available for public healthcare on Saturday. The aim is to reduce morbidity and mortality of critically ill cancer and kidney failure patients.The facility, inaugurated on Saturday by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, is equipped with 21 dedicated modular operation theatres, including two 24x7 dedicated renal transplant OTs and a Robotic OT for kidney failure and urology cancer patients. It has 800 beds, including 100 ICU beds for poor patients.
“This is the first central government-run hospital in the country to start this facility aimed at taking quality healthcare to poor patients free of cost. Robotic surgeries at private hospitals cost anywhere between R5 lakh and R6 lakh. As many as 25 such surgeries have already been performed on poor patients. These procedures were performed on patients suffering from prostate, kidney and bladder cancers. There were advanced reconstructive surgeries as well,” Anup Kumar, HOD, Urology and Renal Transplant, SJH and VMMC, said.
The robotic system provides 7 degrees of freedom, 3-D vision, 10 times magnification and better dissection with more precision, making suturing much easier in complex reconstructive cases. The patients will derive the benefits of minimally invasive surgeries — no need for big skin incisions, lesser pain, blood loss, blood transfusion, early recovery and better oncological outcomes.