LUCKNOW, May 12 -- The newly inaugurated robotic operating theatres and surgical wards at King George's Medical University (KGMU) are already seeing growing waiting lists, as more trained doctors return to their departments to apply and demonstrate their new skills on patients, said Dr HS Pahwa, chief medical superintendent of KGMU's Shatabdi Hospital. The robotic operating theatres-one in the general surgery department and another in the Shatabdi building-were officially inaugurated on May 9 in the presence of vice-chancellor Dr Soniya Nityanand. The general surgery department had already conducted its first robotic surgery on May 8, while the OT in the Shatabdi building was used the day it was inaugurated. "We are preparing a list of surgeries to be conducted in the robotic OT of the general surgery department over the next few days. So far, five to six surgeries have been lined up," said Dr KK Singh of the general surgery department and head of the KGMU media cell. He explained that the OT in the general surgery department is reserved for patients admitted to that department, while the one in the Shatabdi building will cater to patients from multiple specialties based on emergency needs. On May 8, Dr Sonkar from the general surgery department performed a robotic cholecystectomy (gall bladder surgery). This was followed by a robot-assisted inguinal hernia surgery on May 9, conducted by Dr Pahwa and his team at Shatabdi. Both surgeries were successful, and the patients were discharged after post-operative observation on May 10 and 11, respectively. "At Shatabdi Hospital, we are awaiting the return of the second batch of doctors currently undergoing robotic surgery training. Once they complete their courses, they will begin identifying patients for procedures here," Dr Pahwa said....