In a landmark achievement for medical science and technological innovation, Swagat Endolaparoscopic Surgical Research Institute, in collaboration with Swagat Superspeciality Surgical Hospital, has successfully conducted what is believed to be East India’s first “office telerobotic surgery,” marking a major breakthrough for eastern India.
It is to be shared that Swagat Super Speciality Hospital was the first in Eastern India to do two remote tele surgeries on the 10th of Sept 2025 between Gurgaon to Guwahati covering a distance of 1950 kms where in two Robotic cholecystetomies were performed remotely from Gurgaon.
The present pioneering procedure was performed between the two Swagat facilities – Shantipur and Maligaon – over a distance of approximately 2 kilometres. In this novel workflow, the patient-side SSI Mantra Surgical Robotic System was docked in the operation theatre at the Maligaon hospital, while the lead surgeon Prof. Subhash Khanna operated remotely from the Shantipur institute.
What distinguishes this surgery is the use of an advanced, indigenously developed remote surgeon console chair known as Mantrasan developed by SS Innovations.
Unlike conventional telesurgery setups that require full robotic consoles at both locations, this system enables the surgeon to perform the procedure entirely from a compact chair equipped with virtual reality visualisation, intuitive hand controls, and a stable high-bandwidth, low-latency internet connection. This specialized empowered chair is called Mantrasna and is developed by the SSI Innovation Gurgaon , India. This effectively transforms a standard office space into a fully functional robotic surgical workstation.The surgeon views the operative field with his augmented reality Glasses and everything is seen in a high resolution through this glasses.
Remote surgery, or Telesurgery, was first demonstrated in the early 2000s. However, due to technological and connectivity limitations, its adoption remained limited for years. With recent advances in communication infrastructure, telesurgery has re-emerged as a transformative force in modern healthcare.
Building on earlier successful interhospital telesurgeries in India using the SSI Mantra platform, this “office-based” approach represents a further evolution – decoupling the surgeon’s physical location from the operating theatre. It opens up new possibilities for hub-and-spoke models of specialist care, improved surgeon ergonomics, and enhanced access to advanced minimally invasive procedures, particularly in geographically challenging regions.
Eminent robotic surgeon Prof. Subhash Khanna remotely operated from a designated space within the Shantipur facility. Prof Swagata Khanna supervised the co-ordination of both the teams at both locations.
The patient, located at the Maligaon hospital, was supported by an expert on-site surgical team comprising Dr. Pranab Kumar Das, Dr. Supriyo Choudhury, anaesthetist Dr. Kanineeka Das , and a team of trained robotic surgical nurses – Alvanisha, Bidya, Lipika, and Songita – under the coordination of Rina Pradhan.
The on-site team managed all patient-side responsibilities, including docking of the robotic system, trocar placement, and intraoperative assistance, ensuring seamless coordination between the remote surgeon and the operating theatre.
A team of engineers from SSI, led by Prashant kumar and including Sridhar, Indranil, Adam Frank Deepak, Ankan Roy, and several others on both ends, closely monitored system safety and connectivity. Their efforts were crucial in establishing reliable connectivity and achieving low latency.
Speaking after the successful procedure, Prof. Khanna noted that the initiative was not merely a demonstration of feasibility but a step toward democratizing advanced surgical care. “With innovations like the Mantrasan , a surgeon can potentially connect to a robotic system anywhere in the world and perform complex procedures, irrespective of distance – whether 2 kilometres or 2,000 kilometres,” he said.
This milestone underscores the growing capabilities of indigenous robotic technologies and positions Guwahati as a pioneering hub for next-generation surgical innovation in India and beyond.