New Delhi , January 20, 2021: The first made-in-India  telerobotic surgical system was unveiled yesterday  at a hybrid  media event with  live and virtual participants.
The system is the brainchild of  US-returned cardiac surgeon Dr Sudhir P. Srivastava  whose company SS Innovations designed, developed and manufactured the system in the Andhra Pradesh Medical Technology Zone in Visakhapatnam.  The launch  marked the presence of Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Ayog  and AMTZ   CEO Dr Jitender Sharma as Dr Srivastava explained   the salient features of this exemplar of Atma nirbhar Bharat and make-in-India.
The SSI MANTRA (Multi-Arm Novel Tele Robotic Assistance) Surgical Robotic System  compares with the best in the world competition and even  improves on some specifications.
The MANTRA system was recently utilised for the first in human pilot study at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, where the surgeons successfully completed 18 complex Urology, Gynaecology and General Surgery procedures in less than a month.  Dr. Sudhir Rawal, Medical Director RGCI  said: “The dedicated team of engineers and scientists at SS Innovations have been working hard under Dr. Srivastava's guidance for the past few years to develop a cost-effective robotic surgical system. I congratulate them on this launch. I have been closely involved in the clinical trials myself, and the results have been outstanding."
Dr Srivastava added: “Robotics  is the future of surgery, and my vision is to create a technologically advanced system that will be cost-effective, easy to use, and can be applied to all surgical specialities. Thus, benefitting most patients around the world. Compared to conventional surgery, robotic surgery results in smaller incisions, that reduces pain, scarring and leads to quicker recovery.” 
The MANTRA system can be utilised for all major surgical specialities including Urology, General Surgery, Gynaecology, Thoracic, Cardiac, and Head & Neck Surgery and  is expected to cost Rs  4-5 crores, about one-fourth the landed cost of an imported unit.