Galaxy care becomes first hospital in the world to ACQUIRE THE VERSIUS SURGICAL ROBOTIC SYSTeM

by Suman Gupta

Internationally renowned centre for laparoscopy, Galaxy Care Hospital in India, now offers routine procedures assisted by the next-generation Versius^® Surgical Robotic System

Mumbai 15^th  October 2019, CMR Surgical Ltd today announced that Galaxy Care Hospital in Pune, India, has become the first hospital in the world to procure Versius^®, a next-generation surgical robotic system. A range of surgical procedures have already been conducted using Versius^® at the world-renowned centre for laparoscopy, including transthoracic procedures, hysterectomies and myomectomy procedures, under the leadership of Dr. Shailesh Puntambekar.

Galaxy Care is a well-established centre of excellence for laparoscopic surgery and the introduction of Versius^® will support the hospital to bring robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery to more people. Dr Shailesh Puntambekar, Consultant Oncologist, Surgeon and Medical Director of Galaxy Care will lead the team using Versius^®. He is an international pioneer in surgery and renowned for his advanced laparoscopic skills. In addition to this, he is responsible for training laparoscopy to surgeons from all over the world, helping to bring the benefits of minimal access surgery to patients globally.

Dr Puntambekar has led the way in bringing surgical robotics to India, having performed robotic-assisted surgery in India for over a decade and will be responsible for the introduction of Versius^® to Galaxy Care.  Versius^® as a next-generation surgical robotic system with its small form factor, versatility and portability has been designed to support surgeons to deliver the benefits of minimal access surgery to patients around the world.

“As an experienced surgeon in robotic assisted surgery I think that there is significant potential for Versius^® to further increase access to laparoscopic surgery for my patients, so it was a natural choice to acquire this system. Versius^®, as a small and cost-effective system is well suited for meeting the high surgical demand in India. We are excited to bring the next-generation surgical robot to India.” said Dr. Shailesh Puntambekar, Medical Director at Galaxy Care Hospital, Pune, India.

“Galaxy Care has become our first customer to acquire and use Versius^® and this is an important milestone in bringing the benefits of minimal access surgery to all. It is important that we bring Versius^® to market responsibly and we are delighted to be working closely with Galaxy Care on the introduction of Versius^® in the hospital, said Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer, CMR Surgical.

The commercial introduction of Versius^® also marks the launch of the world’s first clinical registry for a surgical robotic system. The registry is part of CMR Surgical’s commitment to post-market surveillance as part of the IDEAL framework and a responsible introduction of a medical device.

In addition to the first global commercial deal taking place in India, the Versius^® Surgical Robotic System is expected to be introduced in hospitals across Europe later in 2019.