Telangana plans 6 month mandatory robotic surgery training for PG medicos, to approach NMC for permission

Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narasimha recently said the state government would approach the National Medical Commission (NMC) for permission to introduce six months of mandatory robotic surgery training for postgraduate (PG) medical students as part of their three-year course.

The proposal is part of the state's plan to create a trained workforce of surgeons as the State expands robotic surgery services across government hospitals, including Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and MNJ Cancer Institute.

Speaking at the State-level Multi-Specialty Robotic Surgery Workshop held at Marri Chenna Reddy Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (MCR TIMS), Sanathnagar, the Minister said training doctors in robotic procedures would be central to Telangana’s plans to expand robotic surgery, whether through a hub-and-spoke model or dedicated robotic surgery facilities at the district level.

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While the state is already working to increase the number of surgeons in robotic surgery, MCR TIMS Director Dr A. Narendra Kumar said surgeons from 35 medical colleges and 47 hospitals, excluding speciality hospitals, are being trained in robotic surgery at two government institutions, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and MNJ Cancer Institute.

"The idea is to ensure that robotic surgery does not remain concentrated in a handful of premier institutions in Hyderabad," he said as quoted by The Hindu.

Robotic surgery expert Dr Sudhir Srivastava said expanding such services could help patients in rural and smaller towns get specialist care closer to home, reducing the financial and emotional burden of travelling to large cities for treatment.

Former NIMS Director Dr N. Bheerappa said NIMS had recently completed nearly 1,000 robotic surgeries and that the government was bearing the cost of such procedures for eligible patients through the Rajiv Aarogyasri health scheme.

Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr N. Vani said government medical colleges had a dual responsibility of providing patient care while training the next generation of doctors. Introducing young surgeons to newer technologies, she said, could have a multiplier effect across the government healthcare system.

At the same time, Dr Vani stressed that doctors should not depend only on technology and must continue to combine medical knowledge with clinical judgement, human touch and compassion

Government Medical College Nagpur Dean Dr. Raj Gajbhiye said robotic surgery was no longer merely a technology available at a few high-end private institutions.

Dr Gajbhiye said that simply installing robotic surgery machines would not be enough to expand the service in government hospitals.

He said, "The real objective should be equitable access to advanced surgical technology. Success of robotics is not about purchasing a robot," adding the need for appropriate infrastructure, trained faculty, structured protocols, multidisciplinary teamwork and institutional support.

Also read- Delhi AIIMS launches Da Vinci Surgical Robot to train doctors