Robotic surgery will soon become a reality in cancer treatment in Kerala.
A robotic surgery unit is becoming functional in the government sector for the first time at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here. Till now, it was available only in large hospitals in the country and abroad.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the robotic surgery unit at the RCC, HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy) treatment, patient welfare and service block, and clinical laboratory tracking mechanism at 11.30 a.m. on Monday. Minister for Health Veena George will preside. Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, and Mayor Arya Rajendran will be the chief guests.
Huge step
Ms. George, in a statement on Thursday, said that the health sector would take a huge step in cancer treatment with the realisation of robotic surgery. Funds had been sanctioned through the Rebuild Kerala Initiative for making diagnosis and treatment of cancer more high-tech.
As part of this, robotic surgery at the RCC and Malabar Cancer Centre (₹60 crore) and digital pathology excellence centres (₹18.87 crore) were being arranged. Robotic surgery would become operational at MCC soon. This would help the common man access high-tech treatment technology that was beyond their reach till now, she said.
Benefits
Robotic surgery is effective for treatment of various cancers. It helps reduce the pain experienced by patients, helps them return to routine life faster, and reduces profuse bleeding during surgery.
The ₹1.32-crore HIPEC mechanism helps administer chemotherapy during surgery itself.
The clinical laboratory tracking mechanism makes investigations in the clinical lab fully automated and enables their real-time monitoring. This is the first time that such a technology is being used in the State.
