New Delhi– As part of its plan to increase the pool of Indian robotic surgeons to 500, Vattikuti Foundation — a US-based non-profit organisation — will offer 100 paid fellowships to super specialist surgeons over the next five years to become robotic surgeons, the foundation announced in a press meet here on Tuesday.
Currently there are 190 robotic surgeons in India across 30 hospitals, according to facts presented at the event.
The foundation aims to expand the pool of accomplished robotic surgeons to 500 by 2020 and cover 100 hospitals.
“We will grow the pool of accomplished robotic surgeons to 500 besides motivating young surgeons to adopt robotic surgery. As its contribution, Vattikuti Foundation, will offer 100 paid fellowships to super specialist surgeons, over the next five years, to become robotic surgeons,” Founder Raj Vattikuti, US-based IT entrepreneur and philanthropist, said.
“Even though 4,000 robot-assisted surgeries were performed in 2015, representing a five-fold increase in five years, India has not even scratched its potential, as the benefit can be passed to the masses beyond metro locations,” Vattikuti added.
Robotic surgery scores over conventional surgery, as it minimises blood loss, drastically reduces the post-operative recovery time, and brings precision in executing the procedure, thereby potentially saving healthy tissue from damage.
With four arms, it can reach organs and areas where human fingers cannot. The three-dimensional view, that can be magnified multifold, helps the surgeons achieve precision that prevents collateral damage to healthy tissue.
