Siloam Hospitals, one of Indonesia's largest private hospital networks, has started adopting a robotic-assisted surgery system developed by Intuitive Surgical.
The da Vinci Xi RAS system rollout in Siloam is a first in Indonesia, according to Device Technologies, which delivered the technology to the hospital. It is one of the widely adopted robotic surgical systems globally indicated to assist surgeons in minimally invasive procedures.
WHY IT MATTERS
Siloam Hospitals' adoption of robotic surgery technology is part of its continuing digital transformation, which began in 2016 with consolidating its disparate information systems.
"Innovation is not an option, but a necessity," remarked CEO Caroline Riyadi.
The RAS system installation follows its adoption of Philips' AI solutions in radiology, pathology, interventional cardiology and clinical operations last year.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who was present at the unveiling of the RAS system at Siloam Hospitals, shared that he asked public university hospitals to make it mandatory for budding general surgeons to acquire laparoscopic skills, given the shortage of digestive surgeons in 514 cities.
"By increasing the number of general surgeons competent in laparoscopy, we hope to have enough surgeons capable of transitioning to the next level of laparoscopy – robotics," he said.
Minister Sadikin also said he is taking "responsibility to accelerate" the uptake of robotic surgery in the country, noting how Indonesia lags behind neighbouring Southeast Asian countries in this field.
THE LARGER TREND
In January last year, the Indonesian government started expanding its robotic telesurgery project with Iran following a pilot the year prior. The government identified robotic telesurgery as a telemedicine strategy to enhance access to quality healthcare for remote communities.
Also last year, the Indonesian government approved an Indian-made RAS system by SS Innovations. The company claims its robotic system has been clinically validated in over 70 types of surgical procedures.
Meanwhile, Alfred Hospital in Australia implemented its second robotic surgical system, which was also provided by Intuitive Surgical, early this year. The same da Vinci Xi system is used to assist surgeons with a range of minimally invasive procedures for cancer and cardiothoracic cases.
