AKIPRESS.COM - Reasonable costs, less pain, early recovery and increasing awareness have put India on the global map when it comes to robot-assisted surgeries across the health spectrum and the country is poised to take a leap soon, some of the leading robotic surgeons have said, reports The Hans India.

According to the latest data from hospitals, Mumbai recorded over 70,000 robotic surgeries in 2015 -- mostly on patients from abroad. Delhi and Bengaluru have performed nearly 20,000 and 25,000 robotic surgeries, respectively.

More specifically, patients from the Middle East and Africa appear to be making a beeline for robot-assisted surgeries in India because either they do not have advance robotic surgery facilities in their home country or, if available, its very expensive.

According to Dr Chris Holsinger, 48, who leads Stanford Cancer Centre's Head and Neck Oncology practice and has been interacting closely with leading Indian counterparts since 2008, India has significant talent and expertise in performing robot-assisted surgeries for head and neck patients.

"The use of computer-assisted surgery (via a surgical robot) to remove cancerous tissues or tumours in the head and neck areas helps the surgeon see the affected areas far more clearly - which is not possible in open surgery," Holsinger, who was recently in India to attend a seminar on head and neck cancer, told IANS.

The Stanford Medical Center is working with leading oncologists with Indian health care providers like Delhi's Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre (RGCIRC) and Mumbai's Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for study of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) patients.

Dr Surender Dabas from RGCIRC says the minimally invasive surgical procedure for head and neck area allows access to the robot through the mouth, thus reducing trauma, pain and blood loss. "Best of all, the procedure does not leave any scars on the face or neck and the recovery is much quicker," said Dr Dabas.