Going by the agendas of national medical conferences this week -- 13th Paediatrics Endoscopic Surgeons conference at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, 2nd National Conference of Robotic Urology Forum at PGI, Chandigarh (both between Feb 23-25) and 16th National Congress of Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society at Chennai February 22-24 -- it is clear that the surgeons are serious about skilling themselves.

By participating in these conferences, panel discussions, symposiums, sharing technical papers, making video presentations, the surgeons share experiences, expertise and practical solutions with others but they also learn from others.

Recognising the immense value that these conferences provide to the medical community, Vattikuti Foundation, is providing a da Vinci Surgical Robot to demonstrate the immense possibilities in the field of paediatric surgery, urology, head & neck surgery, and weight reduction.

“Live workshop feeds from operation theatres in hospitals equipped with da Vinci surgical Robots are a great way of learning various standard and novel procedures from surgeons from different locations,” says says Dr Arun Prasad, Chief of Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Centre, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.

The surgeons at the Urology forum in Chandigarh will learn from some of the best known surgeons in the field, a variety of techniques in robot-assisted radical prostate removal without affecting the nerve that is involved in urinary bladder control.

The paediatric surgeon’s conference will cover the reconstruction of rare gastrointestinal tract, urinary system and lungs among newborns and infants using the surgical robot.

Robotic surgery, most beneficial for removing cancerous body cells, malignancies, tumours, is also used for repair and reconstruction of body parts like urinary bladder, uterus and pancreas.

According to  Dr Gagan Gautam, Head, Urologic Oncology & Robotic Surgery, Max Institute of Cancer Care, New Delhi, “A da Vinci surgical robot is a bit of a miracle worker, an obedient assistant to an accomplished surgeon that enhances her ability to get a magnified view, allowing maneuverability that far exceeds a human hand. The big advantage is to do away with big cuts making healing far less painful and quicker.”

A trained surgeon is in charge every second of the way. A da Vinci robot is a breakthrough in minimally invasive surgery and a major step up from laparoscopic procedures. It means negligible blood loss, less pain, shorter post-op care and minimal hospital stay.

“Trained robotic surgeons contribute to the body of knowledge around procedures. Vattikuti Foundation and hundreds of surgeons around the world have worked in several specialties to develop new procedures using a robotic instrument. The conferences will help spread a new body of knowledge,” says  Gopal Chakravarthy, CEO of Vattikuti Technologieswhich has been working closely with Intuitive Surgical Inc. and Vattikuti Foundation to popularise Robotic Surgery in India.