The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on Thursday, September 11, inaugurated a state-of-the-art Da Vinci Surgical Robot at its Skills, E-Learning and Telemedicine (SET) facility. Provided under a Memorandum of Understanding with Intuitive Surgical, the installation marks the first such system for training at a government medical college in India, reported ANI. 

With this addition, AIIMS Delhi now has two different surgical robots for training, the other being the Hugo system provided by Medtronic. The SET facility is already widely used by trainees, faculty and healthcare professionals for simulation-based learning. 

Boost to surgical education

Director of AIIMS Delhi, Dr M Srinivas, said, “With this training centre, AIIMS Delhi is reinforcing its leadership in advancing surgical education and innovation… this centre will help improve surgical precision, reduce recovery times, and elevate patient care across the country.”

He noted that surgeons earlier had to travel abroad and spend large sums for such training, which can now be accessed within the institute.

Dr Amlesh Seth, Head of Urology, observed that robotic surgery has transformed surgical practice by improving precision and control. The new centre will allow experienced surgeons to mentor trainees and provide early exposure to advanced techniques in a safe environment.

Rohitt Mahajan, Vice President and General Manager of Intuitive India, added, "This initiative is rooted in building world-class surgical skills through advanced instrumentation capability, digital tools, data-driven insights, and mentorship to build future-ready healthcare talent."

The collaboration is expected to accelerate adoption of robotic-assisted surgery in India while building capacity through high-quality, supervised training.