Robotic surgery gains rapid ground in India, Delhi NCR leads: Experts

India is rapidly emerging as a major centre for robotic surgery with Delhi NCR leading the country in both roboticsystem installations and the volume of roboticassisted procedures according to expertsThe experts were participating in the Society of Robotic Surgery SRS India 2026 conference which is being held in New Delhi bringing the global organisations international meeting to Asia for the first time and highlighting Indias growing capabilities in advanced minimally invasive and roboticassisted surgeryAddressing the conference through a video message Union Health Minister J P Nadda said India was at an exciting juncture in healthcare innovation with strengths in technology artificial intelligence digital health and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of surgical roboticsIndia has the opportunity not merely to adopt the technology of the future but innovate develop and lead Nadda said adding that the country was increasingly becoming an important global destination for healthcare innovation and advanced surgical technologyDelhi NCR has 39 hospitals with robotic systems while 11 hospitals have more than one such system making the region the countrys leading hub for roboticsystem installations according to data presented at the conferenceThe number of roboticassisted procedures in the region has risen sharply from 2257 in 2021 to 3594 in 2022 5024 in 2023 7595 in 2024 and 10937 in 2025 an almost fivefold increase in four yearsDelhi NCR has emerged as a leading force in Indias robotic surgery journey with the highest concentration of roboticsystem installations in the country and a rapidly expanding volume of procedures said Dr Vivek Bindal organising chairman SRS India and principal director and head Department of Minimal Access Bariatric and Robotic Surgery Max Hospital DelhiHe said the presence of robotic systems across 39 hospitals including 11 with multiple systems reflected the depth of expertise and institutional adoption in the regionThe growth has been reported across multiple specialities In 2025 about 33 per cent of robotic procedures in Delhi NCR were general surgerybenign procedures 302 per cent urology 221 per cent gynaecology and 10 per cent general surgerymalignant proceduresRobotic procedures are also being performed in head and neck thoracic and cardiac surgeryAcross India roboticassisted procedures increased from 8912 in 2021 to 44857 in 2025 underscoring the rapid expansion of robotic surgery beyond major earlyadopter centresIndia is now at a defining moment in robotic surgery The rapid rise in robotic procedures shows how quickly the technology is being adopted and how clinical expertise is expanding across the country said Dr Anup Kumar organising chairman urology SRS India and head of the Department of Urology Robotic and Renal Transplant VMMC and Safdarjung HospitalIndias roboticsurgery ecosystem is also moving towards telesurgery which could allow specialist surgeons to operate remotely across geographical boundariesDr Kumar recently performed a robotic telesurgery procedure remotely from Gurugram on a patient at Preeti Kidney and Urology Hospital in Hyderabad covering more than 1600 kmThe procedure was subsequently highlighted by Nadda as an example of the potential of technologyenabled surgical careSeparately Dr Bindal led a crossborder live robotic telesurgery demonstration between India and China in collaboration with BORNS RoboticsSurgeons at Max Super Speciality Hospital Vaishali remotely operated a robotic console nearly 5000 km away in Chengdu China performing preclinical proceduresExperts said such demonstrations could eventually support remote surgical training telementoring and the delivery of specialised expertise to hospitals in Tier2 and Tier3 cities subject to appropriate clinical regulatory and technological safeguardsThe international consensus recommendations on remote roboticassisted surgery published in the World Journal of Surgery in 2026 have also addressed requirements relating to connectivity cybersecurity training credentialing emergency preparedness and regulation Bindal is among the authors of the publicationWith 10937 roboticassisted procedures recorded in Delhi NCR in 2025 and 44857 procedures nationally experts said India was moving from early adoption towards a broader ecosystem of robotic surgical expertise clinical experience and innovationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever