SAMBALPUR: A day after doctors at VIMSAR, Burla removed 70 needles from the skull of a sorcery victim from Balangir, the team of neurosurgeons retrieved another seven needles during a follow-up surgery on Saturday.
Director of VIMSAR, Bhabagrahi Rath said, “So far, 77 needles have been retrieved from the girl’s head in two surgeries. Fortunately, the needles have not caused any bone injuries but there are soft tissue injuries on her head. She is now under observation and we will check her for other problems due to which she had to go to the sorcerer. It will be premature to assume that the problem was psychological. We will treat her only after a thorough diagnosis.”
He further said, "The girl was referred from Balangir to VIMSAR because of pain and risk of infection. But she is out of danger now and will remain in post-operative care for around a week."
On Thursday, the victim Reshma Behera (19) of Ichgaon within Sindhikela police limits in Balangir was admitted to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and hospital after she complained of severe headache.
Later a CT scan revealed presence of multiple needles in her head. While the hospital authorities suspected the presence of around 22 needles in her head, at least eight were removed. However, as there was no improvement in her condition, she was referred to VIMSAR late on Thursday evening. After the patient was received at VIMSAR, following several scans and tests, the surgery was scheduled.