Policy makers need to work harder on the issue to bring uniformity in healthcare in India, Chandrakant Sheth, chairman, National Medical Commission, has said.

Speaking at the launch of MedBot TOUMAI MT, an advanced robotic surgical system at the Dr. G. Viswanathan Hospitals in Tiruchi on Wednesday, Dr. Sheth said: “India has better medical infrastructure than many Western countries, but we are still criticised for the gap in our healthcare. Our problem is not with quality of doctors, but with lack of uniformity in our healthcare service. If health professionals are not ready to change, they cannot solve the problems facing our system.”

The MedBot TOUMAI MT is a four-arm robotic surgical platform designed to assist surgeons in performing complex procedures with precision.

In his address, K. Govindaraj, chairman, G. Viswanathan Hospitals, said: ”The robotic system replicates the surgeon’s hand movements inside the patient’s body through tiny incisions, enabling minimally invasive surgery with greater accuracy and safety.”

C. Palanivelu, chairman, Gem Hospital, Chennai and Coimbatore, Maruthu Pandian, chairman, Suma Hospital, Madurai, J.C. Bose, head of surgical oncology, SRMC, Chennai, Ramesh Balasubramanian, founder-director, Curis Hospitals, and V. Venkatesh, past president IAGES, VG Hospital, Coimbatore, were present.

The system would be used to carry out cancer surgeries such as colectomy (colon cancer), gastrectomy (stomach cancer), thyroidectomy, neck dissections, and prostatectomy – (prostate cancer). It will be used to treat benign conditions such as cholecystectomy, appendectomy, pyeloplasty and hernia repair.