The Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre in Delhi on Thursday installed the first-ever 'Made-in-India' surgical robotic system.

After two pilot projects wherein Sudhir Rawal, Medical Director, RGCI, and his team successfully performed 26 surgeries with the surgical robotic SSI Mantra, the robot is now ready to provide an advanced method of surgery, which will be accessible to the general public at a much lower cost, said the hospital.

"I have used the SSI Mantra System on many of my patients. In its present form, the performance is quite good, and I could use the system for complex operations. Many more patients in India and around the world will benefit from this technology based on quality and cost-effectiveness," said Rawal.

The surgical robot is modular, flexible and versatile in comparison to leading global surgical systems and has been developed within five years only. "I made it my mission to develop a new surgical robotic system that would offer better and more advanced technology features, applicable in most specialities including cardiac surgery," said Sudhir P. Srivastava, founder of SS Innovations made the robot.

"This will make robotic surgery accessible and affordable for the people of our country," he said.