A milestone has been achieved by Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru with two successful cases of kidney transplant by means of robotic surgery. An 11 year boy from Yemen and an Indian software engineer were saved from end stage kidney diseases by timely intervention of the medical community and performing robotic kidney transplant surgeries. Examples like this can be put forward one after the other when we speak about robotic surgical procedures transforming healthcare delivery. Accelerated by these developments, India is gradually growing as one of the cost effective yet efficient countries for kidney transplants globally. Advanced surgical procedures and machineries are being brought into the country in order to facilitate healthcare delivery.
“Performing a robotic surgery is like operating with two right hands. With robotic arms, surgeries could be done with more precision and efficiency. Today, in India, kidney transplants cost very less compared to all the European and American countries. With the help of robotic technologies we are able to see clear and magnified video and perform a minimally invasive procedure”, mentioned Dr. Mohan Keshavamurthy, Senior Director – Urology, Uro-Oncology, Uro-Gynaecology, Andrology, Transplant, and Robotic Surgery at Fortis Hospitals Bengaluru.
The changing healthcare ecosystem of India is being further boosted by robotic procedures and especially in case of kidney transplants; they have provided exceptionally successful results. A number of aspects as to why this is shaping a promising future for kidney transplant in India can be discussed in this regard.
Earlier, in case of traditional kidney transplant surgeries, few post-operative complications were observed. First being the situation of invasive surgeries that were susceptible to various infections. Second was the precision and efficiency levels which were to an extent hampered because, it was after all being carried out by humans. Many other problems that involved the physical parameters like age, health and capacity of a patient were also brought to question. However, with the emergence of robotic surgery for kidney transplant, individuals from the medical community have been able to almost eliminate the above problems and challenges and provide patients with minimally invasive kidney transplant surgeries using robotics technology.
One significant example in this regard is the kidney transplant of an 11 year boy from Yemen where the donor was the boy’s own relation who was a woman of 40+ years. In this case, challenges with parameters like age and physical fitness were successfully eliminated by the surgeons at Fortis Hospital, Bangalore and a kidney transplant operation was done on the boy. Now, it has been four months since the surgery and the patient has been able to come back to lead a normal life and go on a diet that can be followed by a biologically normal person. On the other hand, the donor is assessed from each and every angle so that the quality of life after donation is never compromised.
“The only parameter that we have to consider during a robotic kidney transplant surgery is the donor’s GFR (glomerular filtration rate) levels. There is a measure for GFR that varies in different age groups and genders. In this case, the donor’s GFR was normal and only on the basis of that, a successful surgery was performed. Age is no more a factor for concern”, stated Dr. Keshavamurthy.
The healthcare sector of India is in a transformational phase influenced by robotic surgical procedures and likewise. Especially, when it comes to major treatments like kidney transplant, the country has progressed immensely. What is notable in this regard is the reducing healthcare costs for these procedures. Kidney transplant in India currently costs between 6.5-10 lakhs for any of the metro cities depending upon the complications. The integration of robotic surgical procedures increases this amount by 1.25-1.5 lakhs which is nominal compared to the total cost involved in the treatment. However, various crucial parameters can be brought under control with the implementation of robotic surgical procedures.
In this regard, the medical community points out the aspect of minimally invasive surgical procedures through which the risk of having a big scar in the body can be eliminated to a considerable extent. There are various other factors that can be controlled through robotic surgical procedures in order to enhance the quality of life.
“The cost of kidney transplant in India is eight percent of what it is in North America and almost 1.5 times less than any other country in the world. The success ratio for robotic kidney transplant surgeries is same as the success rates for surgeries like Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and other minimally invasive procedures. India is emerging as the cheapest yet completely efficient destinations for kidney transplant globally”, stated Dr. Keshavamurthy.
It can be said that healthcare delivery in India is under rapid development with emerging robotic technologies for surgical procedures. However, one important aspect in the kidney transplant segment mentioned by people from the medical community is the growing willingness of donors. This has only been made possible by eliminating various risk factors which were otherwise involved in traditional invasive kidney transplant surgeries. Considering this, it can be concluded that the future of kidney transplant is promising in India and is poised for more developments in the years to come.
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