Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, has achieved a national milestone by successfully conducting India’s first cross-border remote robotic surgeries, with a surgeon operating from Shanghai on patients located in Mumbai. The landmark procedures mark a significant advance in the use of long-distance surgical technology in the country.
The two surgeries were performed using the Toumai Remote Robotic Surgery System, with the operating surgeon positioned more than 5,000 kilometres away. Dr T. B. Yuvaraja, Director Group of Uro-Oncology and Robotic Surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospitals, remotely carried out the procedures from Shanghai while the patients underwent surgery at the Mumbai facility.
This represented the first clinical application in India of international remote robotic surgery following approval of the Toumai system by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. The procedures included a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and a robot-assisted partial nephrectomy, both complex urological surgeries.
The hospital reported that the surgeries demonstrated the safety, precision and reliability of performing advanced procedures across continents. The Toumai platform is currently the only robotic surgical system that holds approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for telesurgery.
The surgeries were enabled through high-speed, stable data transmission supported by multiple safety-assurance technologies. The system operated with an ultra-low bidirectional latency of 132 milliseconds, allowing real-time surgical control, seamless instrument movement, precise dissection and consistent execution comparable to conventional on-site robotic surgery.
Dr Yuvaraja, who has performed over 4,100 robotic procedures, highlighted the potential of remote robotic surgery to transform access to high-quality surgical care. The successful completion of the two operations was cited as evidence that cross-border telesurgery is feasible, safe and clinically effective, potentially ushering in a new phase of surgical care delivery in India.
The hospital leadership described the achievement as a significant moment for Indian healthcare, reinforcing the institution’s position in adopting advanced medical technologies. The milestone also demonstrated how specialist surgical expertise can be extended across continents through the integration of robotics and secure digital infrastructure, without compromising patient outcomes.
According to the hospital, the surgeries were made possible through close coordination among multidisciplinary clinical teams, including full-time specialists at Kokilaben Hospital, hospital staff, technology partners and engineering teams in both Mumbai and Shanghai.
