Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospitals has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Intuitive, a technology provider for minimally invasive care and robotic-assisted surgery (RAS).

The collaboration will establish 25 robotic surgery programs featuring da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical systems in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala with a focus on expanding access to advanced minimally invasive surgical care in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

The da Vinci systems will be deployed in key locations, including Secunderabad, Begumpet, Kondapur, and Gachibowli in Telangana, and Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Rajahmundry, Ongole, Kurnool, Nellore, and Anantapur, and Andhra Pradesh.

In Maharashtra, the da Vinci systems will be located in cities including Nagpur, Nashik, and Thane; Bengaluru in Karnataka; and in Kerala at Kannur.

The Robotic Surgery Centre of Excellence will be based out of KIMS-PES Hospital, Bengaluru and will provide training for all Robotic Surgeries across specialities to all KIMS branches in India.

“By broadening access to advanced technologies like robotic-assisted surgery, we aim to improve care for patients across tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India,’‘ Bollineni Bhaskar Rao, Chairman, and Managing Director, KIMS Hospitals, said in a release. 

”Our collaboration aims to bring advanced robotic technologies to areas that may previously have lacked access, aligning with our mission to make high-quality surgical care accessible to a wider range of patients,” Rao said.

There are currently over 170 da Vinci systems installed across India, with more than 850 surgeons trained in robotic-assisted surgery in specialties such as gynecology, urology, general surgery, and oncology.