Twins To Remain At AIIMS Till Kalia Fully Cured: Minister

New Delhi: Health and Family Welfare minister Pratap Jena on Friday said there are no immediate plans to discharge Jaga and Kalia, the separated conjoined twins, from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

“While Jaga is fine, Kalia has not fully recovered. Considering his health condition, we have the requested the AIIMS authorities to keep the twins under their care till Kalia is fully cured,” Jena told mediapersons here.

He said he had requested the AIIMS authorities after consulting five specialist doctors from Odisha, who had accompanied him to New Delhi on Thursday.

Talking to the media, Dr Girija Rath of the AIIMS-New Delhi said that Jaga has fully recovered, but Kalia needs more nursing care. “The five-member team of specialists from Odisha are in talks with the AIIMS authorities after which a decision would be taken on discharging the twins,” he added.

Notably, the Health minister along with the five-member team of specialist doctors comprising Dr Sanjeeb Mishra, HoD, Neuro Surgery, Dr Jagmohan Mishra, Professor, Plastic Surgery and Dr Prithviraj Singh, Assistant Professor, Plastic Surgery of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Prof Saroj Satpathy, Superintendent, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Pediatrics, Cuttack and Dr Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty, Associate Professor, Medicine, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, had flown to the New Delhi on Thursday to know the details about the health of Jaga and Kalia and their discharge from the AIIMS.

The twins from Milipada village in Kandhamal district were joined at the head. They were successfully separated after an 11-hour marathon surgery by a team of 30 specialists from neurosurgery, neuro-anaesthesia and plastic surgery departments on October 25 last year.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had met the separated conjoined twins on November 26 and prayed for their speedy recovery.

He had thanked Prof Randeep Guleria and Prof. Ashok Mohapatra and the entire team of doctors for performing an incredible job and for their untiring efforts in saving the precious lives of the two little children and assured the Director, AIIMS, of providing necessary support for their treatment.