Sep 1: "The global healthcare system has gained from Vattikuti Foundation's library of winning videos on robotic surgery from India and we wanted to enrich this library with international experience. For the 2022 competition, the Foundation is gratified to see a four-fold increase over entries in the past", said Dr Mahendra Bhandari, CEO, Vattikuti Foundation.

The international jury to select the winners include robotic surgeons Dr David Neal, Professor of Surgical Oncology, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at Oxford University, UK; Dr Sherry M Wren, Vice Chair and Professor of Surgery, Stanford University, USA and Dr Rajeev Kumar, Professor of Urology and Associate Dean, AIIMS, New Delhi.

Entries were received from practicing robotic surgeons using da Vinci and Mako robots.

Several government and private hospitals and cancer institutes are adopting robotic surgery reflecting the growing acceptance of robotic surgery in many parts of the world.

The Detroit-based Foundation has so far awarded one-year Vattikuti fellowships to over 50 specialist surgeons with post-graduate qualifications in surgery.