Now, a policy for robotic surgery

At a time when the world is facing its biggest medical challenge due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health insurance policies in India are poised for a revamp that will make health insurance cover more customer friendly.

Inclusions in the policy, specifically for robotic and bariatric surgeries in India, were very limited and that was the reason why many policyholders were not able to avail of the best and most-advanced treatment on offer in the country.

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Thankfully, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has now taken cognisance and all health policies are being standardised across health insurers. Besides an array of other inclusions like coverage for diseases such as mental illness, obesity, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, your health insurance policy will now cover you even for robotic and bariatric surgeries.

Insurance companies have already started the process of revamping and advanced products are now available for customers.

Robotic surgery

Robotic surgery holds significant promise in the field of healthcare. The introduction of such surgeries has made the performance of complicated procedures much easier.

They allow doctors to perform different types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility, and control than possible with conventional techniques.

The benefits of such procedures in India come at a lower cost than in developed nations, making it easily accessible to a larger section of the population.

Robotic surgeries reduce the trauma caused to the patient by allowing surgery to be performed through small ports or ‘keyholes’ rather than via large incisions.

The instruments can access hard-to-reach areas of a patient’s body more easily through smaller incisions compared with traditional open and laparoscopic surgeries.

This helps in shorter recovery times, with fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay. They are minimally invasive, painless and have a bigger cosmetic advantage.

Procedures in India

India is the most preferred destination for getting high-quality treatment across the globe, and is dotted with various multi-speciality hospitals and patient-care centres. These hospitals are well equipped with advanced, highly sophisticated and world-class infrastructure facilities using state-of-the-art technologies for the treatment of various critical illnesses. And, when it comes to the cost of robotic surgery, it is very affordable unlike in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Overall, the cost of such procedures in India is pocket-friendly, that too, without compromising on the quality of services and infrastructure. In other words, lower cost of the surgery would mean lower premium to be paid for such cover, too. All the advanced robotic surgeries along with bariatric surgeries can now be availed of by anyone having a comprehensive health insurance cover.

Cost of surgery

Owing to their effectiveness and efficiency, the cost of performing robotic surgeries is a bit higher than regular procedures. A complex robotic surgery is likely to be almost ?2 lakh more than a laparoscopic procedure.

On average, an abdominal robotic surgery costs ?5.25 lakh while a cardiothoracic procedure costs ?6.75 lakh in India. Similarly, a gynaecologic surgery costs ?5 lakh and a head-and-neck procedure costs ?6 lakh.

However, if you are covered under comprehensive health insurance with an adequate sum insured, you need not worry about the cost of the treatment as your health insurer will now cover you for such surgeries.

(The author is Health Business Head, Policybazaar.com )

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