Intuitive Surgical to Begin Direct Operations in India

Intuitive Surgical, Inc., (Nasdaq:ISRG) recently announced that it has begun direct operations in India, following seven years of doing business in the country through a distributor, Vattikuti Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Intuitive pioneered, and continues to be a global leader in, the field of robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery with the creation of its da Vinci surgical system more than two decades ago. Now on its fourth-generation system, the Silicon Valley-based company has seen more than five million robotic-assisted surgical procedures performed worldwide, and the da Vinci surgical system benefits explored in more than 15,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications to date.

“The adoption and advancement of robotic-assisted surgery has been enabled by critical contributions from health care professionals from India,” said Intuitive CEO Gary Guthart. “As Intuitive continues to grow to serve patients, surgeons, and hospitals in India, we look forward to deepening our support of, and work with, health care professionals in their pursuit of the clinical and economic benefits robotic-assisted surgery offers.”

In support of the company’s commitment to India, Intuitive also named Mandeep Singh Kumar as its general manager. Mandeep will direct and implement Intuitive’s in-country strategy and commercial operations. He has more than 20 years of global business experience in health care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and advertising. Most recently, Mandeep served as the chief commercial officer for GE Healthcare, India and South Asia. “It is a privilege to be part of Intuitive’s journey in India, and we are committed to working with surgeons across the country to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery to their patients,” said Mandeep.

Intuitive’s sixth international office will be headquartered in Bengaluru, where employees in sales, marketing, field service engineering, and business operations will be based to support customers throughout the country. More than 65 da Vinci surgical systems are currently in use in India, with surgeons performing robotic-assisted procedures in urology, gynecology, thoracic, and general surgery.

“Our customers can expect a smooth transition and even deeper collaboration opportunities between Intuitive and India’s surgical community,” said Jeroen van Heesewijk, senior vice president of global distribution at Intuitive. “We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to the Intuitive team, as well.” More than 60 former Vattikuti employees became a part of Intuitive India’s business.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Intuitive Surgical, headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. is the pioneer in robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery. Intuitive develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci surgical system. The Company’s mission is to make surgery more effective, less invasive and easier on surgeons, patients and their families. There are several models of the da Vinci surgical system. The da Vinci surgical systems are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery. Da Vinci systems offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance. They use specialized instrumentation, including a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels and forceps) that are designed to help with precise dissection and reconstruction deep inside the body.