BHUBANESWAR: Jaga and Kalia, the separated conjoined twins, are ‘clinically’ well and do not need ICU or specialised care, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi has placed on record.Responding to a notice served by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the premier medical institution stated that the twins’ medical requirements can be met at any State-level hospital in Odisha having good nursing and paediatric support. Last month, the NHRC had sought an action taken report (ATR) from AIIMS over a petition filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy opposing shifting of the twins to the hospitals in Odisha.
The craniopagus conjoined twins fused at head, considered a very rare occurrence, were successfully separated after a 21-hour-long surgery in October last year.In the reply to the NHRC, the AIIMS authorities claimed that the children were thoroughly evaluated by a team of doctors including paediatricians, paediatric neurologists, plastic surgeons, ENT surgeons, neuropsychologists and neurosurgeons.
“After four months of surgery, risk to life is very low and they can be discharged and shifted back to Odisha for supportive and continued care. A team of senior doctors dealing with the twins believed that they can be managed at any State-level medical college or district hospital with good nursing and pediatric support,” the reply stated.
Raising doubts over availability of essential infrastructure and facilities for treatment and care of the twins in the State, Tripathy had filed the petition after Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena informed that the shifting of the twins to Bhubaneswar from New Delhi was being considered as overstay in hospital may cause infection.
“Though the AIIMS has agreed to keep the twins for at least three months on humanitarian ground, we would appeal again to extend their stay for some more months as it was rarest of the rare surgery,” the human rights activist informed.
The ATR also informed that though the Odisha Government had provided ` one crore for treatment of the twins, the premier institute used only `11.8 lakh. The remaining money was transferred back to the State Government in December last year.Entire stay at the hospital for both the children and their parents in two separate rooms over the last eight months and their logistics and consumables amounting to over `25 lakh were borne by the AIIMS.