Ramsay Newsroom

Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr Kothari, said he wants to try to help as many women as possible suffering from conditions including endometriosis. 

“I’m really excited that we now have robotics being used to tackle endometriosis. It’s been done in other countries including the United States for a long time, but it’s fairly new to Australia,” Dr Kothari said. 

“For me, the biggest difference when using robotics is the 3D vision it gives me. Especially when you’re talking about endometriosis, this vision allows for much better identification of the lesions. If I can identify them better, it will help me to remove more.”

As well as treating endometriosis, Dr Kothari’s 500 robotics surgeries also include hysterectomies for prolapse and myomectomy – or the removal of fibroids from the uterus.

While Dr Kothari’s first 100 robotics cases occurred from September 2018 – 2020, the following 400 have all taken place in the last two years. 

“I can’t believe we reached 500 so quickly, especially with the various elective surgery shutdowns due to the pandemic,” Dr Kothari said. 

“I didn’t actually realise I was about to reach case 500 until someone told me!”

Dr Kothari says while he is happy to celebrate, he shouldn’t be the only one. 

“The team at Wollongong Private Hospital is amazing. I couldn’t do it without the scrub nurses, operating theatre nurses, sterilising teams, anaesthetists and everyone involved who work very hard to make it possible for me to operate. This is a combined celebration.”

As well as using his skills to help the Illawarra community, Dr Kothari is also helping train the next generation of robotics surgeons around the country.   

Wollongong Private Hospital CEO, Steven Rajcany, said: “I want to congratulate Dr Kothari and everyone involved in reaching this milestone of 500 robotics cases. 

“Wollongong Private Hospital is proud to invest in robotic technology as part of our commitment to offer our patients the best experiences and outcomes.”