Dr. Prashant Kadam Highlights Advancements in Liver Transplant and Robotic HPB Surgery in India

Mumbai, India, October 2026 – Dr. Prashant Kadam, MBBS, MS, MRCS (Edinburgh), M.Ch., FRCS (Edinburgh), FEBS, a hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgeon practising in Mumbai, spoke recently about how robotic HPB surgery is changing the way complex liver, pancreas, and biliary conditions are treated in India, alongside the steady rise of liver transplants in India as a treatment option for patients with advanced liver disease.

Hepato-pancreatico-biliary, or HPB, surgery is a broad category that includes procedures on the liver, pancreas, and bile ducts. Many of these were done as open surgeries for years, which usually meant longer hospital stays and slower recoveries. That's beginning to shift. A handful of centres in the country now offer robotic-assisted options for select HPB cases, allowing surgeons to work with smaller incisions and often less blood loss than conventional open approaches.

"I've seen robotic platforms help in cases that would have needed fairly extensive open surgery a few years ago. It doesn't suit every patient, but when it works, people heal faster," Dr. Prashant Kadam said.

As a practising liver transplant surgeon in India, Dr. Kadam also touched on where robotic-assisted transplant procedures currently stand. Robotic liver transplant work — including robotic donor hepatectomy and, in some cases, robotic recipient surgery — is still fairly new even on a global scale, with only a small number of centres worldwide having taken it up so far. He noted that adoption in India is happening gradually, with outcomes data and patient safety shaping the pace rather than the availability of the equipment itself.

Liver Transplants Are Rising Across the Country

Transplant volumes in India have grown steadily over the last several years. Better surgical training, stronger post-operative care protocols, and greater awareness among patients about their options have all played a part. Living donor liver transplantation — where a portion of a healthy relative's liver is used instead of an organ from a deceased donor — continues to be the dominant model here, largely because deceased donor organs remain scarce relative to how many patients need them.

According to Dr. Prashant Kadam, survival outcomes for transplant recipients in India have improved to the point where several centres are now reporting figures in line with international standards. He credits this to a combination of refined surgical technique, better-managed immunosuppression, and more coordinated follow-up care involving hepatologists and other specialists.

"We regularly see patients travel from other states, and occasionally from outside India, to get transplant care," he said. "Mumbai's infrastructure and the expertise built up here over the years have made a real difference in how quickly patients can be treated."

What's Next

Dr. Prashant Kadam expects the coming years to bring broader adoption of robotic and other minimally invasive methods at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and other Mumbai centres, alongside continued work on expanding the living donor pool and catching liver disease earlier through better screening.

Learn more about Dr. Kadam's practice, patient resources, and areas of expertise at https://livertransplantexpert.com/robotic-surgery/.

About Dr. Prashant Kadam

Dr. Prashant Kadam (MBBS, MS, MRCS Edinburgh, M.Ch., FRCS Edinburgh, FEBS) is a Mumbai-based hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgeon whose practice covers liver transplantation and complex HPB procedures, including robotic-assisted surgery. He is affiliated with Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, and treats patients from across India as well as international patients seeking surgical care for liver, pancreas, and biliary conditions. For more information, visit https://livertransplantexpert.com/about/

Media Contact: Dr. Prashant Kadam H-216, Heritage Building, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Rd, near Sir H. N. Reliance Hospital, Charni Road East, Khetwadi, Girgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004 
Phone: +91 98339 56489 
Email: [email protected] 
Website: https://livertransplantexpert.com/