The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has been requested to allow the Kandhamal separated conjoined twins Jaga and Kalia to stay in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, along with their parents till they fully recover.
Drawing attention of the NCST, petitioner Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy in a rejoinder challenged the report submitted by the AIIMS authorities and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding the twins.
The report admits that the surgery conducted on the twins is first in India where both the children are alive. In the past craniopagus surgeries conducted in AIIMS resulted in death of both the children. The report also states that the survival of both the children joined at head with similar condition is under 10 to 20 per cent at international level.
Therefore this unique historical case of Jaga-Kalia should be given utmost importance in national level as both the children are alive after surgery, Tripathy contended.
The report also admits that the condition of Balia is not good as on date. It categorically mentions “Kalia is breathing through a tracheostomy tube and he is taking oral feeds of custards, yogurts and banana. He is currently being mobilised by physiotherapy and rehabilitation team on a wheel chair. The ENT team advised that they should keep tracheotomy tube for few more months till he gains head control.”
In case they are discharged from the AIIMS, the uneducated poor parents can’t take care of the children. While shifting from Delhi to Odisha there can be infection in the tracheotomy tube or windpipe. Such critical supervision is impossible anywhere in India except the premiere medical Institute i.e. AIIMS, Tripathy pointed out.
The State of Odisha has ensured adequate funds of Rs 1 crore to the AIIMS authorities. However, the same has not been utilised for the purpose. Rather eighty percent of the total amount has been refunded back to the State Government by the AIIMS authorities. On the other hand, AIIMS has spent certain amount for the treatment of the twins.
Condemning the idea of “Chasing the Credit of the Story” by the State and AIIMS in financial aid aspect, Tripathy requested the NCST to take up the case above politics, conflicts between the Centre and State Government in this regard as the case comes under the purview of rarest of the rare category.
The report also admits that Kalia currently needs good nutrition support to build up his body nutrition reserves and physiotherapy for continued recovery.