Robotic surgery: What is the present situation in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh is preparing for a major upgrade in healthcare technology, moving toward robotic surgery and rehabilitation. While the country lags far behind global leaders, new initiatives suggest 2025 could mark a turning point.

The big picture

• Bangladesh is set to introduce robot-assisted surgical systems for the first time.
• Three major private hospitals — Labaid, United, and Evercare — have applied to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for import approval.
• The DGDA says the approval process is ongoing.
• Bangladesh's rollout will begin with first-generation systems, while countries like the U.S. are already on sixth-generation models.
• Expected implementation: 2025.

2. The economics

• Import cost per robot: Tk 20–25 crore.
• Current medical outflow: About 30 patients travel abroad monthly for robotic prostate surgery, costing nearly Tk30 crore per month.
• Annual foreign spending on robotic procedures may reach Tk1,000 crore.

Projected local cost savings:

• Robotic prostate surgery in Bangladesh: Tk15 lakh
• In India: Tk30 lakh
• In Bangkok: Tk60 lakh
• In Singapore: Tk80 lakh
• Evercare projects robotic surgeries will be Tk1.5–2 lakh more expensive than traditional local operations — still far cheaper than going abroad.

Procurement updates:

• Labaid negotiating with suppliers in South Korea and China.
• United Hospital applied for DGDA approval three months ago.
• Evercare applied two and a half months ago, citing strong patient demand.

3. Why it matters

Robotic surgery advantages:

• Minimally invasive — smaller incisions, less scarring.
• Reduced patient complications and quicker recovery.
• Greater precision for complex surgeries.
• Reduced surgeon fatigue during long procedures.

Clinical areas:
Used globally in urology, gynecology, hepatobiliary, colorectal, breast, cardiac, and head-and-neck surgeries.

4. Training and early trials

• Labaid plans to train surgeons with international support.
• Foreign technical teams will assist during the first 10 surgeries.
• Several local surgeons are already trained in robotic techniques, including Dr. Sarkar Kamrun Jahan Jhinuk, Bangladesh's first robotic surgery fellow (trained in South Korea).
• In January 2024, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases conducted the country's first robotic-assisted stenting trials on two patients using a loaned French system.

5. Robotic rehabilitation: already operational

• Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) opened the first Robotic Rehabilitation Centre in August.
• Funded by a Tk30 crore donation from the Chinese government.
• Equipped with 62 robots, including 22 AI-enabled units.
• Provides neuro-rehabilitation and physiotherapy for patients with paralysis or disabilities.
• Modeled after advanced international facilities and considered one of South Asia's most sophisticated centers.

Training and access:

• Seven Chinese experts trained 29 Bangladeshi doctors and therapists.
• BMU will act as a "Training of Trainers" facility to spread expertise nationwide.
• Services will gradually open to the public at affordable rates.

6. Government stance and policy challenges

Supportive policies:

• Health Secretary Saidur Rahman: welcomed robotic systems as a way to enhance healthcare quality.
• Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum: government plans to introduce 3–4 robotic surgical systems and expand to other districts beyond Dhaka.
• Commitment to make the BMU center sustainable and decentralized.

Policy bottleneck:

• The key delay involves tax decisions on imports.
• Dr AM Shamim (Labaid) urged the government to waive taxes on the first five imported robots, arguing it could save Tk900 crore annually by keeping more surgeries in-country.

7. The bottom line

• Bangladesh's robotic healthcare sector is nascent but advancing.
• If tax and approval hurdles are cleared, the first robotic surgeries could take place in 2025.
• Combined with the new rehabilitation center, these initiatives signal the start of a technology-driven shift in national healthcare — from sending patients abroad to delivering world-class care at home.