From a control room nearly 1,200 kilometres away, Dr. Sunil Chumber, Head of Surgical Disciplines at AIIMS Delhi, watched every movement unfolding inside an operating theatre in Raipur. On large screens, the robotic arms delicately dissected tissues during a gallbladder surgery. Though physically absent, the senior surgeon was very much part of the operation — observing, advising, and mentoring in real time.
The patient on the operating table at AIIMS Raipur never had to travel to Delhi. Yet Delhi's surgical expertise was present throughout the procedure.
The operation, a robotic-assisted cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal surgery), marks an important milestone in India's efforts to use digital technologies to bridge longstanding inequalities in access to specialised healthcare. Conducted using the da Vinci Surgical System and Intuitive's telepresence platform, the surgery enabled surgeons at AIIMS Delhi and AIIMS Raipur to collaborate live during the operation.
For a country where advanced surgical expertise is concentrated in a handful of metropolitan institutions, the implications extend far beyond a single procedure.
"Today, expertise can travel without the patient travelling," Dr. Chumber told The Health Outlook. "This collaboration demonstrated how connected surgical technologies can support real-time clinical collaboration and knowledge sharing across institutions while ensuring that the operating surgeon remains fully in control of the procedure."
For decades, patients from smaller towns and remote districts have undertaken costly and often exhausting journeys to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, or Bengaluru in search of specialised surgical care. The burden is particularly heavy for economically weaker families who must bear travel expenses, accommodation costs, and loss of income during treatment.
Tele-mentored robotic surgery offers a glimpse of a different future. The communication occurred with virtually no perceptible delay, allowing seamless interaction between teams located hundreds of kilometres apart.
"What was remarkable was the quality of interaction," Dr. Chumber said. "The communication was almost instantaneous. We could discuss surgical anatomy, operative workflow, and critical steps in real time as if we were standing in the same operating room."
The collaboration focused particularly on safe dissection techniques during the surgery, including strategies to avoid injury to the common bile duct — one of the most feared complications associated with cholecystectomy.
According to Dr. Chumber, tele-mentoring is not about taking over surgery remotely but about strengthening local capabilities.
"The objective is capacity building," he said. "As more centres acquire robotic surgical systems, experienced institutions can help mentor teams, share best practices, and support the development of high-quality robotic surgery programmes across the country."
The exercise also showcased the growing maturity of robotic surgery within India's public healthcare system. AIIMS Delhi recently crossed the milestone of performing more than 1,000 robotic-assisted surgeries across multiple specialities, creating a substantial reservoir of experience that can now be shared digitally with other centres.
Dr. Virinder Kumar Bansal, Professor in the Department of Surgery at AIIMS Delhi, said healthcare is increasingly moving towards connected models where technology can help overcome geographical barriers.
"Connected surgical platforms have the potential to strengthen surgical education, improve procedural confidence, and expand access to specialised care across regions," he said.
The significance of the initiative becomes even greater in the context of India's healthcare workforce challenges. Specialist surgeons remain unevenly distributed, with large numbers concentrated in urban centres while many districts continue to face shortages.
"The future of healthcare will depend not only on technological advancement, but also on how effectively institutions work together to strengthen clinical capabilities and improve access to quality care," said Lt. Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd), Executive Director and CEO of AIIMS Raipur.
Dr. Debajyoti Mohanty and Dr. Tridip Dutta from the Department of General Surgery, AIIMS Raipur, said the collaboration facilitated discussions on operative techniques, workflow management, and surgical decision-making in real time.
Experts believe such technology could prove especially useful in aspirational districts and underserved regions where access to highly specialised surgeons remains limited. As robotic surgery expands across India, tele-mentoring may help build local expertise, reduce referral burdens, and improve patient outcomes.
According to Rohit Mahajan, Vice President and General Manager, India, at Intuitive, telepresence technology enables peer-to-peer learning and surgical collaboration even when physical presence is not possible.
For patients, however, the technology promises something much simpler: the possibility of receiving advanced treatment closer to home.
