Buoyed by the good reception of robotic surgery among its patients, healthcare major Apollo Group would soon expand robotic presence in two more hospitals in the country.
“We received good reception for robotic surgery in four hospitals. So, we are looking forward to expand robotic presence in two more hospitals probably in the next six months.
They would come up in Bangalore and Ahmedabad,” Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Group of Hospitals told reporters here. Since its inception last November, robotic surgeries were successfully carried out in 55 cases. “Except for one case, which was to be converted into a open surgery, all other cases were successful,” he said.
Robotic surgeries would ensure precision during operations and would not trouble the patient with too much pain, since an incision as small as a key hole would be made, Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, gastro and obesity specialist said. Another consultant Dr Meenakshi Sundaram said, “The blood loss too is very low. In open surgery the loss is around 700 ml, in laparoscopic is around 300 ml and in robotic it is only 100 ml.” Apollo has robots of the da VINCI Si system in its hospitals in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Apollo Group of Hospitals is also awaiting clearance from the Medical Council of India (MCI) for its proposal to open a medical college at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. “We have already got the clearance from the government of India and also from the university authorities in Andhra. We are waiting for the MCI to clear the proposal,” Reddy said. The Group would also soon open a hospital in Kashmir. “There were two three good locations, but there was some problem in the documentation. I wanted a hazzle-free location. They have now identified a 2.5 acre-land for the purpose,” he said. Similar was the case in opening a hospital in Kerala. “We have now identified a land near Guruvayur,” he said.
—-PTI