HYDERABAD: To expand robotic surgeries across govt hospitals, the health department is planning to make three to six months of training in robotic procedures mandatory for postgraduate (PG) medical students.The move is aimed at creating a large pool of uniformly trained surgeons so that robotic surgery is not limited to leading institutions in Hyderabad and can eventually be taken to district-level hospitals.Recently, a pan-state multi-specialty robotic surgery training was also held at the Marri Chenna Reddy Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (MCR TIMS), Sanathnagar. As a result, the health department has proposed initiating the process for establishing robotic surgery centres in select govt hospitals across Telangana.The proposed institutions for phased establishment of robotic surgical facilities include Govt Medical Colleges and Hospitals at Sanathnagar, LB Nagar and Alwal; new Osmania General Hospital, Warangal Super Speciality Hospital; Gandhi Hospital and Niloufer Hospital.The proposal also includes nine regional referral centres across Telangana: RIMS Adilabad, GGH Karimnagar, GGH Nizamabad, GGH Nalgonda, GGH Sangareddy, GGH Khammam, GGH Warangal, GGH Mahabubnagar and GGH Vikarabad.TIMS director Dr A Narendra Kumar said surgeons from 35 medical colleges and 47 hospitals, excluding speciality hospitals, were already being trained in robotic surgery at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and MNJ Cancer Institute. “The training would be central to expanding robotic surgery, either through a hub-and-spoke model or dedicated robotic units at the district level. The idea is to ensure that robotic surgery does not remain concentrated in a handful of premier institutions in Hyderabad,” he added.Sources said that an indent with the TGMIDC has been placed for 15 robotic surgery systems – three for TIMS and one each for Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and Niloufer Hospital, along with nine erstwhile district hospitals. Experts also highlighted that exposure to newer technologies during training could have a multiplier effect across the govt healthcare system. “Young surgeons should not rely only on technology. They must combine it with clinical judgement, human touch and compassion,” said Dr N Vani, director of medical education (DME).Robotic surgery expert Dr Sudhir Srivastava said decentralising such services could help patients from rural and smaller communities access specialised treatment without having to travel to major cities.The NIMS had recently completed nearly 1,000 robotic surgeries, with eligible patients receiving financial coverage under the Rajiv Aarogyasri scheme.Experts, however, said expanding robotic surgery would require more than installing machines. “Success of robotics is not about purchasing a robot. There is a need for appropriate infrastructure, trained faculty, structured protocols, multidisciplinary teams and institutional support to ensure equitable access to technology,” said a govt doctor.The govt said it would approach the National Medical Commission seeking permission to introduce the dedicated training period as part of the three-year postgraduate programme.