SSi Mantra, India’s first indigenously developed surgical robotic system has become the country’s first system to be certified by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to perform telesurgery and teleproctoring.
This will make advanced surgeries and consultations possible without the barriers of geography.
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SSi Mantra is the first robotic surgical system to be made in India. It is unlike any other system in the world for the broad spectrum of surgical procedures for which it can be used (from throat to gynaecological surgeries) and its cost-effectiveness.
It is named after its founder, Sudhir Prem Srivastava, who ranks among the world’s foremost robotic cardiac surgery experts.
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The idea of telesurgery, pioneered in the 1980s for use in space and on remote battlefields has been challenged by technological limitations and also the lack of bandwidth over the years. With advancements in both technology and connectivity, telesurgery and teleproctoring offer the promise of making surgical expertise available more democratically, especially in remote areas, where access to quality health care is a challenge.
Though theoretically, the idea of the use of robots in surgery goes back to 1967, the first fully functional multipurpose surgical robot was developed by the US Department of Defence, in conjunction with innovative startups and established research agencies, only 30 years ago.
It was this system, named after Leonardo da Vinci, that was first installed in 2006 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Its cost then was around Rs 9 crore; now it is closer to Rs 15 crore.
While the use of the da Vinci system has grown steadily since its introduction, its cost is a deterrent to deeper market penetration in India. At Rs 4-5 crore, Mantra costs roughly one-third of the da Vinci.
Robotic teleproctoring and telesurgery will help cater to high volumes of patients and reach hitherto inaccessible areas. Though remote patient monitoring is increasingly undertaken in India, this will be the first time that surgeries by a distant robot will be possible.