Robot for cancer surgeries to be introduced at Lavale village hi-tech hospital

Pune to get second robodoc

Robot for cancer surgeries to be introduced at Lavale village hi-tech hospital
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The city is all set to become a hub for robotic surgeries with a second robot slated to arrive at the Lavale village hi-tech cancer hospital, which is currently under construction. Such robot-assisted surgeries typically reduce operation time and leave no room for human errors.

The city got its first robot that uses the Da Vinci system (see box) last year and the first robotic surgery took place in the city on November 30, 2009, at Galaxi Care Laparoscopy Institute (GCLI) on the oesophagus, or food pipe. With the help of this robot, which is worth Rs 9 crore, almost 125 surgeries have been conducted by the GCLI in the last one year.

The second robot of the same model with updated version will be functional next year and will also perform cancer surgeries. GCLI in association with Symbiosis is building a centre of excellence for laparoscopy and robotic surgery at Lavale Village near Pashan. With this they are building another 300-bedded free hospital for the poor. Currently there are four robots in Delhi and one in Chennai, but the robot in the city is the only one that performs exclusively cancer surgeries.

Dr Shailesh Puntambekar, medical director of GCLI, said the cost of such robotic surgeries was about Rs 10 lakh outside the country but only Rs 5 lakh in Delhi. "We are the first robotic centre in Maharashtra," he said.

Seetabai Ramchandra Chandore (55) from Sus Village at Pashan, who was operated on with the help of
a robot on November 22 at GCLI for Oesophagus, said: "I feel much better as there are fewer injuries on my
body. Now I can speak much better."

So far, she has spent Rs 70,000 for the surgery and post-surgery treatment.u00a0

Dr Ashish Krishna, who performed the surgery on Chandore, said such surgeries take less time, as they require only three hours. Conventional surgery takes four and a half hours. "Freedom of movement and good quality vision makes the operation easier," he said.

Dr Puntambekar said the greatest advantage of robotic surgery was precision and unparalleled safety. All types of robotic cancer surgeries can be performed by robot including cancer of the oesophagus, rectum, uterus, prostate and bladder.

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