CHENNAI, OCT 5
With a view to reach out the modern and technologically-advanced Robotic Surgeries to the poor and downtrodden, the state government will consider including this under the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (TNCMCHIS), said State Medical and Family Health Minister Ma Subramanian here on Wednesday.
After inaugurating the Versius Robotic Surgical System and SIMS Institute of Minimal Access Surgery (SIMA) at SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani, the minister said that it was the motive of the government led by the dynamic Chief Minister M K Stalin.
- Health Minister inaugurates CMR’s Versius Robotic Surgical System and SIMS Institute of Minimal Access Surgery (SIMA) at SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani
- It facilitates surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure: Dr Patta Radhakrishnan
- The CMCHIS was introduced by the late DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister Kalaignar M Karunanidhi in the year 2009
The CMCHIS was introduced by the late DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister Kalaignar M Karunanidhi in the year 2009, since then 12,334 poor people benefitted under the scheme. The government has so far sanctioned Rs. 992.51-crore for this purpose, the minister added.
Tamil Nadu, the role model for transplantation/organ donation to the entire nation has covered 1,513 major surgeries and transplantations under the CMCHIS.
Tamil Nadu, the forerunner in public health had launched an advanced Robotic Surgical Equipment for Cancer at a cost of Rs 34-crore at the Omandurar Government Multi-Specialty Hospital on March 15, 2022. Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated the equipment and a total number of 69 people were benefitted through this equipment, the minister added. Only few government hospitals such as AIIMS and JIPMER in the country have this robotic surgical equipment, the minister added.
Presiding over the inauguration, Dr Ravi Pachamuthu, Chairman SRM Group said, “The robotic assisted surgery system has radically changed the surgical practice in recent times and SIMS is happy to be bringing such a progressive procedure of minimally invasive robotic surgery solutions to all. The system enables the surgeons from across various disciplines like Urology, Gynaecology, Surgical Gastroenterology, Surgical Oncology, Cardiothoracic, ENT and General Surgery, perform common as well as complex and advanced procedures with increased flexibility, greater accuracy, enhanced precision and dexterity, alongside maintaining safety and control, all through the procedure”.
Explaining the advantages of Robotic Surgeries, Dr Patta Radhakrishnan, Director & Senior Consultant – Surgical Gastroenterology Institute of Gastroenterology/Hepatobiliary Science and Transplantation at SIMS, said, “The NEXT generation Surgical robot is backed by Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning that empowers the surgeons to operate through one or a few small incisions in place of a large incision as with traditional open surgeries. The system delivers a highly magnified 3 D high-definition optical view of the surgical area that helps in in-depth analysis of the problem area and aids in precision surgery. It facilitates surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure. These kinds of robotic surgical interventions not only help in treating patients with shorter recovery periods but also improve their quality-of-life post-surgery.”
“Though the robotic-minimal access surgery facilities have spread to the nook and corner of the country, the awareness about the procedure is very low and has not reached the masses yet. Also, not many surgeons in India are trained in this procedure, making its availability in the country very limited. Furthermore, there is a huge dearth for quality training institutes that offer structured and adequate courses in the field of minimal access surgery. Keeping all this in view and the already existing hardware and infrastructure including clinical equipment and facilities for minimal access surgery, we at SIMS have endeavoured to offer a structured course that would enable the gen next students to come and learn the nuances of minimal access robotic and laparoscopic surgeries and have hands-on experience in this field. In a way we would be happy passing on the Robotic Surgical Technology to the next generation. We intend to affiliate with SRM University for certification, adding more authenticity to the program,” he added.
Dr Raju Sivasamy, Vice President has appealed to the state government to consider including the robotic surgeries under the TN CMCHIS.
