Urology surgery costs in India - honest numbers

RIRS (Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery) with holmium laser for kidney stone removal at Apollo Hospital Gurugram typically costs between ₹80,000 and ₹1,50,000 all-inclusive (surgeon fee, anaesthesia, hospital stay, OT charges, consumables, post-op medication). The exact figure depends on the stone size and complexity, number of stones, whether a DJ stent is placed, and the room category you choose. This includes discharge the next morning in most cases. Most health insurance policies - CGHS, ECHS, and private insurers - cover RIRS. WhatsApp +91 78382 86336 for a case-specific estimate.

Robotic radical prostatectomy (for prostate cancer) at Apollo Hospital Gurugram costs approximately ₹3,00,000 to ₹5,00,000 all-inclusive - this covers the robotic surgical fee, anaesthesia, 2-night hospital stay, catheter removal visit, and follow-up. The same procedure in the United Kingdom (NHS) has wait times of 6–18 months. Privately in the UK it costs £18,000–£25,000 (approximately ₹20–28 lakh). In the United States it runs from $25,000–$50,000 (₹21–42 lakh) without insurance. The quality of care at Apollo with Dr. Nitin - MCh AIIMS, FRCS Oxford, Da Vinci robotic system - is at international standard. Many Indian-origin patients in the UK, USA, Canada and the Gulf choose to have their surgery in India during a visit home.

Most major urological surgeries are covered by health insurance in India - including RIRS, PCNL, ESWL, TURP, HoLEP, robotic nephrectomy, robotic prostatectomy, TURBT, and radical cystectomy. Government schemes (CGHS, ECHS, Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY) cover defined procedures at fixed rates. Private insurance (Star Health, Niva Bupa, ICICI Lombard, HDFC ERGO, etc.) covers these procedures subject to policy terms, waiting periods, and pre-existing condition clauses. Apollo Hospital Gurugram has a dedicated insurance desk for pre-authorisation and cashless claims. Dr. Nitin's team helps with the documentation required for insurance approval. Call or WhatsApp to check whether your specific procedure is covered.

PCNL (Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy - for large or complex kidney stones) costs approximately ₹1,20,000 to ₹2,00,000 at Apollo Hospital Gurugram, depending on the number of access tracts required, duration of surgery, and hospital room category. Hospital stay is typically 2–3 nights. This is substantially higher than RIRS because PCNL is a more complex procedure requiring fluoroscopy or ultrasound guidance, a specialised nephroscope, and closer post-operative monitoring. Most insurance policies cover PCNL for indicated cases. For staghorn stones or stones above 20mm, PCNL is the standard of care and the cost is broadly similar across major Delhi NCR hospitals.

The cost difference is real and large - India is typically 10–20× cheaper than the USA and 5–10× cheaper than private healthcare in the UK for equivalent procedures. The reasons are: lower cost of living affecting staff salaries, hospital operating costs, and overheads; medical device and drug pricing differences; a different medical-legal cost structure; and lower administrative overhead. What is not different is the implant quality (same DePuy, Olympus, Intuitive Surgical Da Vinci platforms), the surgical training (MCh from AIIMS, FRCS from Oxford), or the hospital accreditation (Apollo is NABH and JCI accredited). The gap is in cost, not in care quality.

Apollo Hospital Gurugram offers cashless treatment for all major insurance networks - CGHS, ECHS, Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY), and most private insurers. For planned surgery, the process is: (1) book a consultation with Dr. Nitin; (2) get the surgery recommendation and proposed procedure code; (3) submit pre-authorisation to your insurer (Apollo's insurance desk assists); (4) insurer approves; (5) surgery proceeds cashless. For procedures not covered by insurance, or for patients without insurance, payment is made to the hospital directly. Dr. Nitin's consultation fee is paid separately to the OPD.