United Healthcare begins regular robotic surgery in Bangladesh
The robotic system provides high-definition 3D visualisation and instruments with 360-degree movement, allowing greater precision in confined anatomical areas, less tissue damage and potentially faster recovery.
United Healthcare Services in Dhaka has successfully performed robotic surgeries on two patients, marking the start of regular robotic surgery services in Bangladesh.
The surgeries were performed yesterday using the Medbot Toumai Endoscopic Surgical Robot, supported by a multidisciplinary medical team, according to hospital authorities.
Prof Dr Rafiques Salehin, head and chief consultant of the hospital's Endo-Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery Department, performed a robotic cholecystectomy on a 57-year-old man with gallstones. Prof Dr Samsad Jahan (Shelly) performed a robotic hysterectomy on a 45-year-old woman suffering from abnormal uterine bleeding.
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The robotic system provides high-definition 3D visualisation and instruments with 360-degree movement, allowing greater precision in confined anatomical areas, less tissue damage and potentially faster recovery. The technology will eventually be used for complex procedures, including cancer treatment.
Speaking to journalists yesterday evening, Dr Salehin said the male patient, who also has diabetes, had long suffered from abdominal pain and was diagnosed with gallstones through ultrasound.
"Until now, we performed this operation using laparoscopy. Today, we successfully performed the same procedure using robotic surgery," he said, adding that the patient regained consciousness after the operation and could be discharged today if his condition remains stable.
Earlier, in 2024, two patients underwent robot-assisted stenting at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD).
Wider use planned
Dr Salehin said robotic surgery offers greater surgical precision, reduced blood loss and less invasiveness because the robotic arms can move beyond the limitations of the human hand.
Dr Jahan said the programme would soon expand to cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, urology, general surgery, gynaecology and thoracic surgery.
The long-term goal is to provide advanced procedures locally and reduce patients' need to seek treatment abroad, she said.
Govt approval received yesterday
Dr Salehin said the robot had been brought to the hospital earlier, but the government conducted several rounds of evaluation and inspection to ensure patient safety.
"Board approval was granted last Thursday, and we received the government's written approval yesterday. We performed the first surgery immediately after receiving the approval," he said.
He said robotic surgery currently costs about 2.5 to three times more than comparable laparoscopic procedures. However, he expects costs to fall as the technology becomes more widely used, as happened with laparoscopy.
He also said wider access to robotic surgery could reduce overseas treatment by Bangladeshi patients and help save foreign currency.
United Healthcare said its procedure was the country's first robotic surgery.
Asked why its procedures were being described as the first robotic surgery in Bangladesh despite robot-guided stenting performed at NICVD in 2024, Dr Salehin said the NICVD procedure involved a different technology.
"That was a robot-guided cardiac procedure. The robot was brought to NICVD for demonstration. Our robot, however, is a dedicated surgical robot for abdominal and thoracic surgeries and has been introduced as a regular service, rather than for a single demonstration case," he said.
