Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian on Wednesday said Tamil Nadu government will consider including robotic surgeries under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).
Launching a new robotic equipment at SRM Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) Hospital here, he said such a move can help the poor benefit from the cutting-edge advancements like robotic surgery.
He said the suggestion to include robotic surgeries under the CMCHIS would be taken up with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. A robotic equipment was installed in Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital earlier this year, which was the first in a State government-run hospital in India. “Sixty nine persons have benefited from it,” he said.
The Minister said both the government and private hospitals like SIMS in Tamil Nadu were at the forefront of adopting new technologies in healthcare. “In the last one year alone, I have inaugurated robotic equipment in three private hospitals in Chennai,” he said.
Ravi Pachamuthu, chairman, SRM Group, said the newly installed robotic equipment will provide greater accuracy, enhanced precision, dexterity and increased flexibility along with safety and control.
Patta Radhakrishnan, director and senior consultant, Institute of Gastroenterology, Hepatobiliary Science and Transplantation, SIMS Hospital, said the next generation robotic equipment now introduced at the hospital would not only reduce the recovery period of the patients but also improve their quality of life.