The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has achieved a major milestone in Indian public healthcare by successfully performing the country’s first robotic kidney transplant in a government hospital. The landmark surgery, conducted in early September, signals a new era of high-precision, minimally invasive treatment becoming accessible and affordable to the masses.
The procedure, which utilized the advanced Da Vinci Xi surgical system, was led by Dr. Virinder Bansal, Professor and Chief Transplant Surgeon in the Department of Surgery at AIIMS.
- Minimally Invasive: The robotic system allowed the surgical team to connect the donated kidney to the recipient’s vessels and urinary bladder with enhanced precision and 3D visualization through a small 4-5 cm incision, resulting in minimal blood loss.
- Faster Recovery: The patient, a 45-year-old man suffering from kidney failure, showed excellent urine output immediately after the four-hour surgery. He was discharged just ten days later with his creatinine levels at normal, highlighting the benefit of faster recovery compared to conventional open surgery.
- Affordable Access: While similar robotic transplants in private hospitals can cost around ₹20 lakh, AIIMS is offering this cutting-edge procedure at a nominal cost of approximately ₹20,000–₹25,000. The hospital is also making efforts to extend this facility to beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat national health insurance scheme, fulfilling the goal of making advanced surgical care universally accessible.
