International Trade Administration states; “According to industry sources, India’s surgical robotics market was valued at $851 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach almost $4 billion by FY 2031.”
Robotic surgery, also known as robot-assisted surgery, is a ‘minimally invasive’ procedure conducted by surgeons with the help of a machine through very small incisions.
India received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2000. Following the approval, da Vinci system was installed in India in 2006. India’s first urologic robotic installation was at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
The following two decades saw a steep incline in the demand and supply of robotic surgery in India.
The use of robots in surgeries has increased precision with features like;
enhanced instrument articulation
tremor filtration
motion scaling
three-dimensional visualization in some systems
improved ergonomics
Thus ensuring flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques.
Robot assisted surgeries are particularly beneficial in a country like India where the demand of surgeons is ever increasing.
Robotic surgeries are known for high levels of precision and accuracy, whereas traditional surgeries rely on the surgeon's manual dexterity and visualization skills.
Robotic surgery requires smaller incisions compared to traditional surgery and patients who undergo robotic surgery typically experience a shorter recovery time.
Robotics surgery is comparatively very cost heavy and may not be available at all hospitals and medical centers.
In conclusion, both robotic and traditional surgery have advantages and disadvantages. Robotic surgery offers greater precision, less pain, and shorter recovery times, while traditional surgery provides a more hands-on approach and is often more cost-effective. Ultimately, the choice between the two will depend on the patient's needs and the surgeon's expertise.
In India, Robots have been employed in a wide range of medical specialities, including urology, gynaecology, and orthopaedics, across diverse surgical procedures, like laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, and arthroscopy
Other surgeries include removing cancer tissue from sensitive body parts such as blood vessels, nerves, or vital body organs, gallbladder removal, hip replacement, hysterectomy, kidney removal, kidney transplant, pyloroplasty, radical prostatectomy, tubal ligation, etc.
The charges for robotic surgery in India are significantly cheaper when compared to the US, UK, Singapore, etc. The base cost for a robotic surgery in India starts from INR 1.42 lakh and can range up to INR 11 lakh.
In addition to the surgery cost there are other additional costs including admission fee, doctor’s fee, post-surgical complications involved, admission room opted, the laboratory tests such as X-rays and examination tests such as ECG, etc. While considering these factors, the cost for single robotic surgery in India ranges between INR 1.65 lakh to INR 13 lakh, whereas, the same surgery in the US costs around USD 200,000.
This high cost of robotic surgeries comes from the high installation and maintenance charge of these robots and can not be overlooked.
India has over 850 robotic assisted trained surgeons and has over 170 da Vinci systems installed across major private and government hospitals. Some of the key international players in robotic surgery that have contributed to its expansion in India are Intuitive, Medtronic India, CMR Surgical, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker Corporation, and Smith & Nephew.
Over 12,800 surgeries have been performed using robotic assistance in the last decade. Leading international healthcare businesses are expanding surgical robotics by acquiring smaller firms to increase their market presence in this fast-growing sector.
The Indian healthcare sector is open to foreign investment and provides significant opportunities for U.S. businesses to export robotic surgical equipment to India. Despite a surge in local production, India continues to heavily rely on import of medical devices, accounting for about 70% of the market.
Indian healthcare system is mostly driven by growing incidence of lifestyle diseases and rising demand for affordable healthcare delivery systems. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases here, combined with increased demand for minimally invasive surgeries, has propelled the demand in the country.
Numerous institutes and hospitals all over India are offering training and fellowship programs in robotic surgeries to train young doctors, such as Vattikuti 1-year fellowship in robotic surgery and the da Vinci basic surgical skills training.
Vattikuti 1-year fellowship in robotic surgery: Post graduate super-specialist surgeons are eligible to apply (like an M.Ch. or DNB). While the Vattikuti Foundation is a US-based organisation, this specific 1-year, paid clinical fellowship is primarily tailored for and hosted in Indian academic medical centres and private hospitals.
The da Vinci basic surgical skills training: It is a technical skills certification program open to post-graduate surgical residents, fellows, and practicing consultants (an MS or DNB in General Surgery/ OB-GYN). Many private hospitals offer this certification. It is not India specific and has a globally standardized curriculum. Note: This training course doesn’t certify you to independently operate on a patient.
Despite its countless conveniences, robotic surgeries still possess constraints that can’t be overlooked;
1. A robotic surgery setup requires huge initial investment, adding to it the cost of robots and their maintenance requires a very large fund expenditure while setting up a facility dedicated to robotic surgery.
According to a report, the surgical robotic system requires an initial investment of $1,500,000, with an annual maintenance cost of approximately $100,000,6 which makes robotic surgical interventions expensive for patients.
2. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing robotic surgery to conventional surgery have failed to show superiority of robotic surgery proving that the authenticity of a surgeon can’t be compared.
3. Contrary to the West where there is a strict quality control and audit process in place, India lags in keeping a tab on the readmissions, prolonged stay, and re-exploration rates for every surgeon, Indian hospitals do not have such robust checks and balances. Therefore, the assessment of the actual benefit of robotic surgery in our population becomes more difficult.
References:
1. Bora, Girdhar Singh, Tushar Aditya Narain, Aditya Prakash Sharma, Ravimohan Suryanarayan Mavuduru, Sudheer K. Devana, Shrawan K. Singh, and Arup Kumar Mandal. “Robot-Assisted Surgery in India: A SWOT Analysis.” Indian Journal of Urology 36, no. 1 (2020): 1–3. https://doi.org/10.4103/iju.IJU_220_19 .
2. Naripesh Kumar Nrip, Rajesh Kanthe, Anil Trimbakrao Gaikwad, Prasad Patil, and Sakshi Udasi. “Study of Robotic Surgeries in India: Economical Aspects and Applications in Cancer Treatment.” Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 16, no. 1 (2023): 429–34. https://doi.org/10.52711/0974-360X.2023.00073 .
3. Sarwal, Rakesh, Urvashi Prasad, K. Madan Gopal, Shoyab Ahmed Kalal, Deepjyot Kaur, Anurag Kumar, Prashanth V. Regy, and Jitendra Sharma. Investment Opportunities in India’s Healthcare Sector. New Delhi: NITI Aayog, 2021. https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-02/InvestmentOpportunities_HealthcareSector.pdf .
4. Narayana Health. “Robotic Surgery vs. Traditional Surgery.” n.d. https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/robotic-surgery-vs-traditional-surgery .
5. Vattikuti Foundation. “Fellowship Application.” Accessed October 19, 2026. https://vattikutifoundation.com/fellowship/ .
6. Intuitive. “Academics.” Accessed October 19, 2026. https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/healthcare-professionals/academics .
7. Nelivigi, Girish G. “Robotic Surgery: India Is Not Ready Yet.” Indian Journal of Urology 23, no. 3 (2007): 240–44. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-1591.33443 .
8. Nayak, Smitha, Vinod C. Nayak, and Sathvika G. S. “Exploring the Acceptance of Robotic Assisted Surgery among the Indian Population: An Empirical Investigation.” F1000Research 13 (2024): 544. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.145052.3 .
9. International Trade Administration. “India Surgical Robotics Market.” U.S. Department of Commerce, July 29, 2025. https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/india-surgical-robotics-market .
10. Anitha, R., K. C. John, and G. Jabarethina. “Stakeholder Perspectives on Scaling Robotic Surgery in India: Qualitative Research.” Journal of Robotic Surgery 18 (2024), article 250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-024-02008-3.
11. ScienceDirect. “The Changing Landscape of Acute Kidney Injury in Pregnancy from an Obstetrics Perspective.” n.d. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468900924000306 .
(OG/MF/MSM)
