Kidney Transplant: Fortis offers hope without high costs

In a breakthrough for affordable advanced healthcare, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru, has emerged as the only hospital in South India offering simultaneous dual robotic kidney transplants without pushing the financial burden onto patients.

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According to Dr Mohan Keshavamurthy, Principal Director - Renal Sciences, the total cost difference between a conventional transplant and a fully robotic transplant is just Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 lakh, making the advanced procedure financially accessible.

"The idea is to treat the patient, not the pocket. Despite investing Rs 32 to Rs 40 crore in robotic systems, the patient cost is kept within reach-and many are covered by insurance," he told in an interaction.

Fortis Bengaluru is the only hospital in Karnataka and Southern India to house two Da Vinci surgical robots side by side, enabling donor and recipient to be operated on simultaneously. Globally, only nine hospitals have used this technique-Fortis being the first in India and second in Asia after Seoul. This approach has transformed outcomes for high-risk patients previously denied surgery due to medical complexity, age, or anatomical challenges.