United Healthcare performs Bangladesh's first robotic surgeries

On a recent day, United Healthcare conducted Bangladesh's inaugural robotic surgeries, showcasing the nation's embrace of cutting-edge medical technology. The operations, executed in United City on Madani Avenue, utilized a cutting-edge Medbot Toumai Endoscopic Surgical Robot. Prof Rafiques Salehin, chief consultant and head of the Department of Surgery at United Medical College Hospital, led the team in performing a robotic cholecystectomy on a 57-year-old man, followed by Prof Samsad Jahan Shelly, senior consultant and head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, executing a robotic hysterectomy on a 45-year-old woman with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Prof Rafiques highlighted the advantages of the robotic procedure, including the robot's ability to maneuver through 360 degrees, enabling precision in confined spaces, and minimizing invasiveness, bleeding, and recovery time. He also noted that the cost of robotic surgery is approximately two to three times higher than traditional surgery, but prices are anticipated to decrease as adoption increases.

Currently, some patients travel abroad for robotic surgery due to its precision, but this milestone will allow them to receive the service in Bangladesh. Prof Samsad emphasized that Bangladesh has fallen behind neighboring countries, such as Nepal, which had already initiated robotic surgeries. The hospital aims to expand the robotic surgery program to cardiac, neurosurgical, urological, general, gynecological, and thoracic procedures, with the long-term goal of providing advanced treatments locally and reducing the necessity for patients to travel overseas, thereby preserving valuable foreign currency.

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) conducted a remote robotic stent placement surgery in January 2024, but the procedures at United Healthcare are distinct, with the NICVD's robot only assisting partially in the stenting process.