Indore Surgeon Performs 12 Robotic Surgeries From France In 10 Hours, Patients 8,000 Km Away

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore-based robotic and laparoscopic surgeon Dr Mahek Bhandari has achieved a major milestone in transcontinental telesurgery by remotely performing 12 robotic hernia surgeries in a single day within 10 hours, operating from the IRCAD Centre in Strasbourg, France, while the patients were in Indore.

The procedures were carried out on patients at Mohak Super Speciality Hospital, Indore, nearly 8,000 km away from the surgeon.

Dr Bhandari used the MedBot robotic surgical platform developed by MicroPort, with medical and technical teams in France and India working together to ensure seamless communication and coordination throughout the procedures.

Speaking about the achievement, Dr Bhandari said, “For me, the most satisfying part of this achievement is that all 12 patients have undergone their procedures successfully and are recovering well under medical observation.

Being able to operate on patients in Indore while sitting thousands of kilometres away in France demonstrates what technology can make possible in modern surgery.”

He added, “Transcontinental telesurgery has the potential to significantly reduce the time surgeons spend travelling and could allow highly specialised surgical expertise to reach patients in places where such expertise may not always be available locally.”

The achievement was announced by Sri Aurobindo Group founder and chairman Dr Vinod Bhandari, who said Dr Mahek Bhandari could possibly be among the first surgeons globally to perform such a large number of transcontinental robotic hernia surgeries remotely in such a short period.

The development also highlights the growing international collaboration within the IRCAD network, which brings together nine institutes worldwide to work on technological and clinical challenges in minimally invasive surgery.

Reflecting on the significance of the development, Dr Bhandari said, “This is not only about performing surgery remotely.

It is about demonstrating that surgeons, technology and teams across countries can work together to deliver advanced surgical care safely and efficiently.”

According to the hospital, all 12 surgeries were completed successfully. The achievement has been described as an important proof of concept for the feasibility and safety of remote robotic surgery and its potential for wider real-world clinical application.