AIIMS Delhi Performs Over 1,000 Robotic Surgeries in Past 13 Months

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has completed more than 1,000 robotic surgeries over the past 13 months, the institute announced on Tuesday.

Robotic surgery was introduced at the Department of Surgical Disciplines at AIIMS over a year ago to manage complex and high-risk surgical procedures. Since its introduction, the advanced surgical robot has been used for a wide range of operations, including hepatobiliary surgeries such as pancreaticoduodenectomy, gastrectomy, esophagectomy, colectomy, and anterior resection for gastrointestinal cancers. It has also been employed for complex abdominal wall reconstructions for hernias, kidney transplants, and minimally invasive removal of thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreatic tumours related to endocrine disorders.

AIIMS described the development as a significant milestone, noting that the department is among the first General Surgery units in a government hospital in India to adopt such advanced robotic technology.

The institute stated that the introduction of robotic surgery is a crucial step toward expanding access to minimally invasive and highly precise surgical care, while also setting a new standard for public healthcare in the country.

Although robotic systems have been in use for over a decade in private hospitals across major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai—particularly in urology and gynaecology—their adoption in government hospitals, especially for General Surgery, has remained limited. AIIMS is addressing this gap by integrating advanced robotic surgery into a public healthcare environment, ensuring patients from varied socio-economic backgrounds can benefit from the technology.

Professor Sunil Chumber, Head of the Department of Surgical Disciplines, said that as an academic institution, AIIMS has more than 100 surgical residents undergoing training at any given time. He added that the installation of the robotic system provides residents with valuable exposure to cutting-edge surgical technology, bringing their training on par with leading medical institutions worldwide.

Robotic surgery offers several clinical advantages, including reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, and improved surgical precision. The technology is especially beneficial for procedures requiring delicate dissection and suturing in confined anatomical spaces, such as colorectal, oesophageal, and pancreatic surgeries. Globally, robotic-assisted surgery has been associated with improved patient outcomes.

The robotic system provides surgeons with a magnified, three-dimensional view of the surgical field and enhanced dexterity through advanced robotic arms, enabling greater accuracy during complex procedures.

With inputs from IANS