Intuitive India, the India arm of Intuitive Surgical, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), has recently collaborated with top  government medical instituitions in India as a part of their initiative to expose next generation surgeons to Robotic-Assisted Surgery.

Intuitive India together with AIIMS Delhi, has developed this educational program called the Intuitive Robotic Onboarding Program and Education (I-ROPE). Through this initiative, Intuitive aims to familiarize resident surgeons with robotic assisted surgery, its technology, clinical applications and its benefits. Currently, Intuitive is driving  this program in  renowned government medical instituitions in the country, which includes the likes of AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohya hospital- Delhi and Armed forces medical college- Pune.

Commenting on this initiative, Dr.S.V.S. Deo – Professor and Head, Department of Surgical Oncology, B.R.A-IRCH, AIIMS, Delhi, said,”Upskilling for medical fraternity is a continuous process. While I-ROPE is not a mandatory part of the surgical course, there has been an overwhelming response from the resident surgeons who look forward to taking up such surgical advances to contribute towards better patient outcomes. Willingness to be part of such voluntary programs will allow the residents to understand the benefits of the surgical procedures with the support of RAS. Today, access to futuristic Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS) has paved the way for surgeons to progress from Laparoscopic surgery to advanced RAS.”

Commenting on this joint effort, Mandeep Singh Kumar, VP and General Manager, Intuitive India, said, “The execution of Robotic-Assisted Surgery skill and education programs is a key step towards nurturing early adopters of advanced surgical technologies. In this context, the Intutive Robotic Onboarding Program and Education (I-ROPE) aims to support the country’s surgical healthcare landscape’s evolution towards producing better clinical outcomes. Given the success of the introductory program, we aim to scale it in partnership with multiple teaching institutes in the country for multiplying its reach and impact.”

As a pilot, AIIMS Delhi ran this program in their Oncology divisions. Based on the surgical students’ feedback, Intuitive extended this program to other specialities and institutions across India. Currently, more than two hundred resident surgeons are going through this program, across institutions.

As part of Intuitive’s continued effort in establishing strong robotics programs across the country, they provide robust technical training and support to surgeons in India throughout their careers – from initial exposure to the technology to more advanced training, ensuring that they have the skills and experience necessary to perform the procedure using the da Vinci surgical system. Currently, they have training centres at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre- Kochi, Yenepoya Training Centre – Mangalore, and M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital- Bangalore.