Cotabato public hospital starts robotic-assisted surgeries
COTABATO CITY—The government-run Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) has rolled out its state-of-the-art robotic surgery program, making surgical services aided by robotic instruments accessible to patients in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and nearby regions.
CRMC is the first public hospital in the Bangsamoro region and the second in Mindanao that utilized robotic-assisted surgeries after the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. The first state-owned hospital to employ robotics surgery technology is the Philippine General Hospital in Metro Manila.
“The launching marked a historic milestone in healtcare innovation [in the Bangsamoro],” Dr. Ishmael Dimaren, CRMC medical center chief, said during a recent briefing with the robotics surgery team.
Using the SSI Mantra 3.0 Robotic Surgical System, CRMC launched its robotic surgery services on Monday, positioning the institution on par with leading hospitals in the country in terms of surgical technology, training and global care standards.
The system is an advanced robotic-assisted surgery platform developed by SS Innovations International, an Indian medical technology company. It is designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive operations with greater precision, flexibility and control than conventional laparoscopic surgery.
Certified CRMC robotic surgeons, together with the SSI Mantra team, successfully conducted the initial robotic-assisted procedures as part of the hospital’s commitment to safe, efficient and patient-centered healthcare.
Milestone
“This is a big milestone for CRMC, Region 12 (Soccsksargen region or South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos) and BARMM. Robotic surgery will now be accessible to the communities we serve at no cost,” Dimaren said.
The initial robotic-assisted surgeries included cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) and robotic inguinal hernia repair, with a plan to include urologic and gynecologic procedures.
According to the CRMC surgical team, robotic surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery that uses advanced robotic instruments controlled by trained surgeons through a surgical console.
The CRMC surgical robotics team is composed of Dimaren and doctors Louis Gerard Agustin, Al-Jazzer Angas, Paul Michael Vincent Lugtu, Ameerah Oyod, Muhammad Sidik Dimalen, Roel Justin Reoyan, Ravi James Buxani, Lovella Jeanne Lao, Aimee Alvarico, Almaira Pagayao, Nur Ainee Kamensa, and Sittie Nor Mohayrra Tiang.
They were sent to India last year to train on how to operate the SSI Mantra 3.0 Robotic Surgical System.
Dimaren said that contrary to common misconceptions, the robot does not independently perform the operation—the surgeons remain in full control throughout the procedure.
He said the SSI Mantra team would assist CRMC surgeons during the initial phase of implementation while the hospital strengthens its robotic surgery capability.
The robotic surgery services, Dimaren said, will be provided under the PhilHealth’s zero balance billing policy, allowing qualified patients to access this advanced treatment without additional financial burden.
He said the acquisition of the robotic surgical system was part of CRMC’s long-term vision to advance surgical practice, strengthen medical training, and establish future fellowship programs in minimally invasive surgery and related specialties, including colorectal surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, urology and other fields. INQ
“With this advancement, our patients no longer need to travel far to [Metro] Manila or other major centers to access robotic surgery. We are bringing this state-of-the-art technology closer to the communities we serve,” the CRMC robotic surgeon team said in a statement.
