Restoring mobility and quality of life is at the heart of modern healthcare - yet for millions of Indians living with arthritis, the goal remains out of reach.
Arthritis affects nearly 60 million Indians, yet fewer than 10% undergo joint replacement surgery. Many patients only seek treatment when their condition has severely progressed, which limits recovery options and can lead to chronic pain, reduced mobility, and a significant impact on quality of life. This combination of high disease burden, delayed treatment, and limited access to advanced interventions represents a critical healthcare challenge in India. Robotic Joint Replacement: An advanced clinical solution Robotic-assisted joint replacement is a technological advancement with the potential to transform patient outcomes. It offers surgical precision, faster recovery, and better long-term mobility. CT-based planning allows surgeons to tailor the procedure to each patient’s unique anatomy, anticipate anatomical challenges in advance, reduce human surgical errors, preserve healthy tissue, leading to better joint function and long-term outcomes. It is particularly valuable for patients with complex joint issues such as severe degeneration and deformities. Patients often experience less pain, shorter hospital stays and can return to daily activities or work much sooner. The technology also significantly reduces the risk of complications and revision surgeries. Essentially, it allows patients to access world-class, evidence-based care that can dramatically improve both short-term recovery and long-term quality of life. Globally, robotic joint replacement has become a well-established standard of care. With over 20 years of clinical use across 45 countries and more than 1.5 million procedures performed worldwide, its adoption continues to accelerate. In Australia, approximately 41% of primary knee replacements in 2025 were robotic-assisted, and projections suggest that nearly 70% of such procedures in the United States will use robotics by 2030. However, access to this advanced technology is not universal. Without adequate insurance coverage, many patients are limited to conventional procedures. This is where the intersection of technology and healthcare equity becomes critical. The Critical Gap in Health Insurance Coverage Insurance coverage plays a critical role in determining who can access these life-changing procedures. Many patients face financial barriers, and sub-limits or caps on claims can prevent them from choosing robotic surgery even when it is clinically indicated. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) took a key step in 2019 by directing insurers to include modern treatments in their offerings. Yet, coverage for robotic-assisted procedures continues to vary across plans, which may influence how patients evaluate their treatment options and affordability. Ensuring fair and equitable coverage allows patients to make treatment decisions based on medical need rather than cost, ultimately improving outcomes and reducing long-term healthcare costs by preventing complications and additional surgeries. The need for Comprehensive Insurance Coverage Expanding insurance coverage to include robotic joint replacement is crucial for improving access to quality orthopaedic care in India. Such inclusion would bring multiple benefits:
- Enabling Equitable Access: Removing financial barriers allows more patients to access advanced surgical care, aligning India’s orthopaedic treatment standards with global standards.
- Reducing Long-Term Costs: Although robotic surgery may have higher upfront costs, it reduces complications and revision rates, lowering overall healthcare expenses over time.
Organization like the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) continue to advocate for equitable access, emphasizing that comprehensive insurance coverage is more than a policy reform - it is a commitment to ensuring that no patient is left behind due to financial constraints.
There is a need for patient-centric reimbursement policies that support wider adoption of robotic surgery and make advanced care accessible to all. Insurers must look beyond immediate procedural costs and appreciate the long-term advantages of robotic precision and reliability.
Regulators, too, play a crucial role. Their focus should be on ensuring fairness for consumers -enabling coverage that includes modern technologies and pre-existing conditions, while allowing insurers flexibility to design plans with different cost-sharing models. Patients willing to pay the differential cost for robotics should still receive reimbursement equivalent to the base procedure.
A mindset shift is also needed: robotic surgery should no longer be viewed as experimental but as established. Around the world, it has proven its clinical and economic value, and reimbursement policies in India must evolve to reflect this reality.
Towards a More Equitable Future
Comprehensive insurance coverage for robotic joint replacement will enable equitable access to world-class surgical technology, improve patient outcomes, and modernize India’s healthcare system. By bridging the gap between innovation and accessibility, India can ensure that patients benefit from safer surgeries, faster recovery, and longer-lasting results - transforming not just lives, but the future of orthopaedic care.
No patient should be left behind. Ensuring that technological innovation translates into real-world access requires collaboration between healthcare providers, insurers, and policymakers. Together, they can create a system where medical progress serves every patient - making advanced, evidence-based care both affordable and achievable for all.
(No ET Now Journalists are involved in creation of this article.)
