PPE Shortage to Drive Use of Robots for COVID-19 Treatment

By GlobalData | 06.23.20

Robotic surgical systems and disposables market is expected to post double-digit growth in India for the next few years.

Healthcare professionals are one of the most vulnerable groups exposed to infections. Rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) products across India are putting them at more risk. Against this backdrop, the adoption of robots to manage and treat COVID-19 patients is eventually expected to grow in the country, claims GlobalData, a worldwide data and analytics company.
 
GlobalData’s report, "Robotic Surgery – General Surgery Market Analysis and Forecast Model," reveals that the robotic surgery market is driven by factors such as growing elderly population leading to an increase in the need for surgical interventions, drive towards value-based healthcare requiring improved patient surgical outcomes and growing demand for less invasive procedures. 
 
The robotic surgical systems and disposables market in India is expected to reach about $25 million in 2025, posting a growth in mid-teens for the next few years. 
 
Bhaskar Vittal, a medical devices analyst at GlobalData, said: “While the robot surgical systems use has been growing in performing surgical procedures such as cardiovascular, orthopedic, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, healthcare facilities are also exploring the use of robots to manage COVID-19 patients to mitigate the risk of infection to healthcare professionals.”
 
Currently, hospitals in India are exploring the use of robots for patient examination and testing, delivering food and medicines to the COVID-19 patients. Maintaining social distancing being critical in controlling the spread of COVID-19 infection, robots are being tested to assist patients in isolation wards. 
 
Vittal concluded: “Although robotic technology is currently expensive for wider adoption across all types of healthcare settings, it is expected to find increasing use in countries such as India due to very less number of healthcare professionals available for more than 1.3 billion population.”