Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Pak baby operated in Noida dies of dehydratio­n in Lahore

- Vaibhav Jha vaibha.jha@htlive.com

A five-month-old Pakistani baby died of dehydratio­n on Sunday night, barely a fortnight since he left India after a successful cardiac surgery at a Noida hospital. Despite tension between the two countries, Rohaan and his Lahore-based parents had managed to secure a medical visa to India through the interventi­on of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj .

According to reports, Rohaan was rushed to a Lahore hospital after he came down with diarrhoea on Sunday. The baby, however, could not be saved. “My Rohaan passed away last night. He fought and conquered with major heart surgery but slipped and fell in grave due to little dehydratio­n (sic),” his father, Kanwal Siddiq, tweeted.

He went on to thank Swaraj and the people of India for the love and support they extended to Rohaan in trying times. “Life is fragile, despite all efforts Rohaan passed away to a better place. Thank u and people of India for all efforts. God bless,” the caption under a photograph of his son’s grave read.

A group of doctors had performed an exhaustive five-hour

REPORTS SAID ROHAAN WAS RUSHED TO A LAHORE HOSPITAL AFTER HE WAS DOWN WITH DIARRHOEA

surgery on Rohaan at Noida’s Jaypee hospital on June 14. The baby was suffering from a complex condition that caused his heart to pump deoxygenat­ed blood, bringing about bouts of pneumonia and making his body turn blue.

Doctors at Jaypee said Rohaan was “perfectly normal” when he reached Lahore in July. “We kept in touch with the parents after they reached. Rohaan was doing fine, and his reports were good until last Friday. We even suggested that his feeding be increased, and the baby began putting on weight. However, on Sunday, his parents called to say that they were admitting Rohaan to a hospital because he had come down with diarrhoea. Soon, we received the tragic news of his death,” said a doctor.

The Siddiqs managed to get a medical visa to India after Kanwal approached Swaraj for help on Twitter.

 ?? VIRENDRA SINGH GOSAIN/HT FILE PHOTO ?? Rohaan with his mother after his surgery in Noida on July 18.
VIRENDRA SINGH GOSAIN/HT FILE PHOTO Rohaan with his mother after his surgery in Noida on July 18.

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