India's first govt-run robotic surgery training facility soon at AIIMS Delhi

The robotic surgery training facility at AIIMS Delhi is also the first faculty-led procedural training facility in the Asia-Pacific region.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi is collaborating with India Medtronic Pvt Ltd to develop a robotic training facility. It aims to provide clinical education and teach surgical robotic skills on a not-for-profit basis to residents and faculties of AIIMS and other teaching institutes with MeHNAT (Medtronic Hugo and AIIMS training) in robotic surgery, an official statement from AIIMS Delhi stated.

AIIMS Delhi will establish a robotic surgery training facility at its campus.(Representative)

The government-run hospital had already floated an expression of interest to establish the facility on its campus.

The public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, in its statement, said, “We have entered into a collaborative agreement with India Medtronic Pvt Ltd to co-create a robotic training facility at the campus here."

The facility is the first-of-its-kind for medical professionals in a government institution in India. The robotic training centre is also the first faculty-led procedural training facility in the Asia-Pacific region.

How will the facility help healthcare workers?

Through technical and procedural training, medical workers will be upskilled on robotic-associated minimally invasive surgeries. This will widen the knowledge of the healthcare community and enhance patient outcomes by utilizing procedural and evidence-based medical education activities.

The facility will be spread over 500 sq ft of space and provide academic areas, cadavers/tissues for training, and a group of trained faculty, among others.

“AIIMS, New Delhi has been an early adopter of this innovation in medical technology and has a talent pool of faculty using the Robotic Surgical Systems for many years. Keeping in view the availability of an adequate number of master trainers at AIlMS New Delhi, there is an immediate requirement to establish Robotic Surgery Training Facilities herein for imparting training to doctors from AIIMS New Delhi and other healthcare facilities in India," the memorandum issued by Dr M Srinivas, AIIMS Delhi Director noted.

(With inputs from PTI)