Robo-surgeries soar as AI boosts surgical efficiency, diagnostic precision

Business Standard

13 hours ago

In 2010, Rajinikanth's movie Robot had a scene of a humanoid robot conducting a delivery in an operation theatre, which gave viewers goosebumps. It was just four years after India saw its first robotic surgery involving a four-armed Da Vinci surgical system at AIIMS in Delhi.
Fast forward to 2025, robotic surgeries are no longer a rarity in the India. Industry estimates indicate that the country has so far witnessed over 150,000 robot-assisted surgeries, in addition to fully robotic surgeries. The country is now seeing over 12,000 robotic procedures performed by around 1,000 surgeons annually.
According to industry experts, artificial intelligence (AI) is adding to the efficiency of these procedures through predictive analytics, clinical decision support through personalised treatment pathways and diagnostic precision, use of generative AI for clinical documentation, and real-time AI-driven insights supporting efficient resource allocation and decision-making.
AI can reduce operation times by around 15 per cent. With 5G and telemedicine evolving further, such procedures are even done remotely now. If numbers are to be believed, India is fast becoming a destination for international patients seeking robotic surgeries, due to at least a 50 per cent cost advantage compared to countries like the United States and those in Europe. The majority of patients opting for India are from the US, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Oman, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Driven by global interest, India's surgical robotics market is expected to grow reportedly from around $900 million now to almost $4 billion by the financial year 2031 (FY31).
The rapid growth in robotic surgeries can be gauged by the rate at which such procedures are increasing in private chains like Apollo Hospitals. It was one of the first hospitals to start robotic surgery, way back in 2011, and has so far conducted a total of 22,145 procedures. Out of that, around 8 per cent or 1,751 surgeries were conducted during the April to June quarter of FY26.
'Robotic surgeries are being done by us for complex procedures including cardiac, oncology, orthopaedics, spine and neuro, gastrointestinal, gynaecology, urology, and general surgery. The advantages range from enhanced precision, reduced recovery times, and improved patient outcomes through robotic-assisted procedures,' said Madhu Sasidhar, president and chief executive officer of Apollo's hospital division.
Robotic surgery gives medical professionals more flexibility, precision, and control than is feasible with conventional methods for performing a variety of complex procedures. According to Apollo, the most common clinical robotic surgical system has a camera arm and mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached. The surgeon controls the arms while seated at a computer console next to the operating table. The console shows the surgeon a high-definition, magnified, three-dimensional view of the surgery area. Among the several surgical systems across the world, Da Vinci is the most commonly used one in India.
Case Study
A 45-year-old man fell from his bike and suffered a blunt injury to his upper abdomen. By the time he was referred from a peripheral centre to Medanta's Lucknow Super Speciality Hospital, he was showing signs of internal bleeding and a drop in haemoglobin levels. Once the patient was stabilised, the surgical team decided to proceed with robotic-assisted surgery instead of the traditional open method.
'While other minimally invasive options were available, we went the robotic route because of the multiple advantages it offers over other methods,' said Sandeep Verma, director GI Surgery, Medanta Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow.
'In trauma, controlling bleeding with precision is critical. Robotic-assisted surgery gave us the manoeuvrability and dexterity needed to take fine sutures on the injured vein, which would have been very difficult using laparoscopy. With vascular structures, even a one-millimetre deviation can make a life-threatening difference,' he said. The entire procedure was completed robotically in under two hours and the patient recovered well and was discharged four days after surgery without complications.
Robotic-assisted surgery is still relatively uncommon in trauma care, mainly because such cases often require urgent intervention where open surgery is typically quicker and more widely practiced. However, Verma explained that in stable patients like this one, robotics can offer distinct benefits: precise repairs which were crucial in reducing trauma to surrounding tissues, less postoperative pain, and quicker return to normal activities.
'Another advantage of robotics is that we can reach complex and hard-to-reach areas with better control and visibility, which supports enhanced outcomes,' he noted.
Soaring popularity of robots
It is this higher efficiency level, lower post-surgery expenses, fewer possibilities of infection at the surgical site, and reduced medical dosage that make the process popular among Indians. Prashant Hansraj Salvi, consultant minimal invasive, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Jupiter Hospital, Thane, says that nowadays even patients themselves ask whether robotic procedures were feasible on them.
The rise in popularity is across the country, as another leading player, HealthCare Global Enterprises, said it conducted 1,100 robotic surgeries in FY25. 'The adoption of robotic-assisted procedures at HCG has been growing consistently at 11-14 per cent year-on-year, sustaining double-digit growth driven by increasing patient awareness and expanding clinical applications,' said B S Ajaikumar, founder and chairman, HealthCare Global Enterprises. Robotic-assisted surgery at HCG sees the highest traction in urology, head and neck oncology, and gastrointestinal oncology.
According to an Industry Trends and Forecast research report, around 35 per cent of surgical robotics adoption is happening in North India (led by Delhi-NCR) due to the presence of major hospitals like AIIMS and Fortis, closely followed by South India with 30 per cent led by around 34 robotic systems of Apollo Hospitals. West India, on the other hand, contributes 20 per cent with hospitals like Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital investing in multiple robotic systems. Penetration is lower in East India with 10 per cent, and Central and Northeast India together around 5 per cent.
'The price differential involved in robotic surgeries can vary on a case-by-case basis and depends mainly on the type of surgery. It is difficult to put a bracket on the cost difference, however usually the differential can vary between ~30,000 to ~150,000 for different procedures,' Ajmera said.
Despite the rising popularity, high initial and operational cost is a concern for hospitals. The report added that a Da Vinci robot can cost upwards of $1.5-2 million, with annual maintenance expenses ranging from $100,000-150,000, limiting adoption in smaller hospitals and rural healthcare facilities.
Companies like SS Innovations International, Meril Life Sciences, RIL-promoted Addverb Technologies,and Medtronic are taking giant strides in India to reduce this bottleneck. In addition to this, limited patient awareness, higher out-of-pocket expenses due to lack of comprehensive insurance coverage, and conventional methods having a lesser cost of around 70 per cent are hindering the sector's growth.
Well, despite all this, robotic surgeries are on the fast track, leading the Indian healthcare ecosystem to its future.