Robotic assisted surgery

Robotic assisted surgery policy

The Department of Health’s Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS) policy, released in September 2024, provides formal direction to the sector on the present and future state of RAS in Victoria.

The departmental policy position is one of ‘managed growth’. It was developed to reflect the limited evidence and long-term data regarding the risks, benefits, and cost effectiveness of robotic surgery, while recognising workforce and patient preferences toward RAS, and the reality of growing RAS uptake in Victoria and around the world.

The policy states that centralised public investment in RAS platforms cannot be justified until the evidence base improves and the long-term benefits of RAS over traditional means of surgery are better understood. However, the policy also recognises, supports, and endorses health services’ decision to self-fund RAS platforms should these investments be viable and appropriate and sets expectations and requirements for health services in this regard.

The policy commits health services and the department to collaborative actions that will improve the RAS evidence base to help inform future policy decisions.

Robotic assisted surgery investment guidance for health services

In addition to the policy, the department has also published investment guidance for health services who are currently using RAS and/or exploring the adoption of RAS.

The guidance is non-binding but has been created to assist health services with RAS investment decisions.

It contains 23 questions grouped under four key domains to ensure that health services have thoroughly assessed their suitability and readiness before any RAS investment decisions are made.