Nadiad kidney hospital to unveil robot that will perform Surgery

VADODARA: Robotic surgeries are extensively performed in the West and now Gujarat too will boast about it with a premier kidney hospital in Nadiad acquiring a robot to start urological surgeries using robotic technology. Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital (MPUH) will be the only hospital in Gujarat and second after AIIMS in the country to be equipped with this technology. The latest da Vinci Si Robot has arrived at the hospital and will be unveiled on September 26.

A team of doctors from MPUH and University of Southern California(USC) will perform the first robotic surgery on September 25. "One has to be at the forefront when it comes to technological advancement to provide better health care to people. Robotic surgeries are performed in the West. Now the situation is such that if we don't have a robot in urology it hints that one is not at par with global health care standards," said medical director and managing trustee of MPUH Dr Mahesh Desai.

Talking about the benefits of performing a robotic surgery, Desai added, "A robot moves all 360 degrees and this makes tissue handling better. Even suturing is better compared to open surgery. The performance of a surgeon is variable, with human hands having certain limitation. During a robotic surgery, the doctor sits on the console and performs with robot following the instruction."
The first patient to be operated upon will be from Nadiad undergoing prostrate cancer procedure. "We plan to conduct ten surgeries with the help of the team of doctors from USC. For one year, we will be seeking their help and then we will be on our own. Everyone will get the benefit of this new technology as needy patients will be operated free of cost," said Desai.
"Gujaratis settled abroad are getting the best healthcare facilities. We wanted to offer the same to those residing in Gujarat. With our hospital acquiring the robot, we want to bring in the best technology to fulfill patient's need of minimal hospital stay and also reduce the morbidity rate," Desai told TOI.