BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda to advise authorities of All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi to continue treatment of separated conjoined twins till they are healthy enough for home care.
In a letter to Nadda, the Chief Minister said the State Government is fully committed to bear all medical and related expenditure for continuing treatment of the twins at the premier hospital.
The craniopagus conjoined twins fused at head, considered a very rare occurrence, were successfully separated after a 21-hour surgery in October last year. The twins, native of Kandhamal district, are undergoing treatment since then.
“The professional team of AIIMS had conducted an extremely difficult surgery. The Government has been regularly sending teams of specialists to review their condition. Our specialists opined that the twins are recovering well but have not yet attained stable health condition,” Naveen stated in the letter.
Stating that AIIMS is pressing to discharge the babies unilaterally against the views of the specialists and despite the request of the State Government to continue treatment, the Chief Minister said the twins have not become fit enough for home care since they are underweight and neurologically impaired.
“Though the State has adequate health infrastructure, it may not be able to respond to the special medical needs and care that the twins demand. Any capacity constraint in their treatment could prove counterproductive to all the serious and committed efforts made by AIIMS so far,” he added.
Earlier, AIIMS authorities had intimated the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) that the separated conjoined twins were ‘clinically well’ and there was no need of ICU or specialised care for them.