Jinnah Hospital to Reserve Free Robotic Surgery for Complex Operations

Patients at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in Karachi can receive robot-assisted surgery, including complex cancer operations, free of charge.

Key points

• 3 Billion to Open 300-Bed Children Hospital Approved 14 Years Ago.
• On November 21, 2023, JPMC's then executive director, the late Prof Shahid Rasool, confirmed that the hospital had ceased "unnecessary and minor" robotic procedures.
• JPMC remarked it has carried out more than 1, 500 robotic procedures since launching the service in October 2023, with the Sindh administration bearing the cost for patients.
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• "But as our training progressed and we performed more surgeries, the operating time also became shorter." Lahore to Obtain 3 New Major Hospitals.

Almost three years after the programme began, surgeons at the public hospital say they are now focusing on complex cases after criticism over using the technology for routine procedures.

JPMC remarked it has carried out more than 1, 500 robotic procedures since launching the service in October 2023, with the Sindh administration bearing the cost for patients. Hospital Staff Boycott OPDs Over Technician's Murder in Sindh.

Meanwhile, the hospital uses a Versius system. It allows surgeons to control instruments from a console during minimally invasive operations, including colorectal and other cancer surgeries.

Notably, the matter of who should benefit from robotic surgery has drawn attention in Pakistan, where public health spending remains low.

JPMC is not the only hospital in Sindh offering robotic surgery free of charge. The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation additionally provides the service.

"This is a government-sector hospital. This is taxpayers' funds, so ultimately we have to apply it appropriately, " noted Dr Syed Muhammad Shafqatullah, an associate professor of general and colorectal surgery at JPMC.

"That is why we have tried to use robotic surgery as much as possible for complex procedures, " he continued. Jinnah Hospital Completes Over 1, 500 Robotic Surgeries.

In practice, the debate over costs began shortly after JPMC introduced the system. Sindh's then caretaker health minister, Dr Saad Khalid Niaz, had questioned the expense of performing simple procedures such as gallbladder removal with a robot when they could be done laparoscopically.

Dr Shafqatullah remarked he initially performed around 30 robotic gallbladder surgeries. Of the roughly 120 robotic operations he has done overall, he remarked concerning 88 were colorectal procedures, sleeve gastrectomies or surgeries for stomach and pancreatic cancers.

He remarked the robot's greater range of movement is especially useful in difficult-to-reach areas, including some colorectal cancer operations.

"In the United States, robotic cholecystectomy is particularly commonly performed as insurance pays for it. It is taxpayers' funds, " he stated, referring to gallbladder removal.

He remarked JPMC cannot routinely apply the robot for basic operations since it is a public hospital spending public capital.

Nevertheless, the shift toward more complex cases does not by itself prove that robotic surgery at JPMC delivers better results than conventional laparoscopy.

In practice, the hospital did not provide a breakdown of its more than 1, 500 procedures by type, its purchase cost or cost per operation. It additionally did not share comparative figures for complications, readmissions, hospital stays or other patient outcomes.

KP Needs Rs. 3 Billion to Open 300-Bed Children Hospital Approved 14 Years Ago.

Though questions remain over its went on value, research from other countries suggests the technology can be applied safely.

Meanwhile, a 2025 review of nine studies covering 561 colorectal operations using Versius discovered no major safety worries, but noted much of the evidence was observational and called on stronger comparisons.

Though Versius operations took concerning 37 minutes longer after adjustment, a 2026 study at a British hospital comparing 290 colorectal cancer operations discovered similar cancer-related outcomes between laparoscopic and robotic procedures. The authors remarked more research was needed on cost-effectiveness.

Shahid Kamal, an operating theatre technician who oversees robotic surgery at JPMC, remarked the team has become faster with experience.

"When the robot was new, individuals were worried. They would say, 'Please do it laparoscopically, don't do it with the robot', " he remarked.

JPMC remarked its robotic procedures to date would otherwise have been worth more than Rs600 million, but it did not explain how that figure was calculated.

Without actual costs and comparative patient outcomes, it remains tough to assess whether JPMC's focus on complex cases has improved value for public capital. Stay Connected with ProPakistani. Obtain the latest news and stories wherever you prefer. Follow on Google Discover.

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Taken together, the developments around jinnah Hospital to Reserve Free Robotic Surgery for Complex Operations point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.