Marathon surgery by 40 doctors to separate twins

The crucial phase-wise surgery to separate conjoined twins Jaga-Balia (nicknamed Honey and Singh) of Odisha’s Kandhamal district has started at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi from Monday.

According to Odisha health minister Pratap Kumar Jena, 40 doctors, including a team of experts from Japan, are engaged in the surgery.

The surgery will span over a period of 50 hours. Dr K. Taki Jawa, a Japanese physician, is leading the team of doctors to separate the conjoined twins.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik spoke over telephone to Odia doctor A.K. Mohapatra, a professor of neurosurgery, AIIMS Delhi and enquired about the surgery’s progress. He is one of the key members of the team.

The phase-wise surgery to seperate the conjoined twins, which started at 9 am, was continuing till reports came in

Mr Jena said that the twins were taken to the operation theatre at around 4.30 am and the surgery began after a series of investigations at 9 am. In the first phase, the surgery was conducted for seven hours. Quoting sources, Bhuiya Kanhar, the father of the twins, said the first phase of the operation was successful, Honey and Singh were doing well.

Apart from Japanese medical experts, specialists in neurosurgery, cosmetic surgery, cardiology and pediatrics have been roped for the surgery.

The 28-month-old twins belong to Milipada village of Kandhamal district were shifted to AIIMS on July 13 after a series of media reports prompted the state government to intervene.