The Odisha government Sunday said the health condition of Jaga, one of the surviving conjoined twins separated in India's first craniopagus surgery at AIIMS-New Delhi in 2017, is good and he is doing well.
The state's health and family welfare department issued a statement on the health condition of Jaga after a thorough health check-up at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. AIIMS, Delhi's eminent neurologist Deepak Gupta was among the doctor's team that examined health conditions of Jaga, an official said.
Jaga's twin brother Kalia, who survived for over three years after surgeries, however, died at SCB Medical College and Hospital on November 25, 2020.
After he arrived at SCB medical college hospital two days ago, Jaga underwent MRI and CT scan tests under the supervision of Dr Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra of Neurosurgery Department on Friday.
A team of doctors headed by Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra and Dr Deepak Kumar Gupta from AIIMS-New Delhi, who had carried out the surgery to separate Jaga and Kalial, visited SCB Medical College and Hospital and examined Jaga on June 18-19.
Jaga, now 7-years-old, was found in a cheerful mood and playing with a mobile phone.
Then 28-month-old conjoined twins hailing from Milipada village in Odisha's Kandhamal district underwent the first stage surgery, lasting 25 hours, on August 28, 2017. The final separation surgery was done on October 25, 2017, which lasted 20 hours.
After spending over two years at AIIMS-New Delhi, Jaga and Kalia were discharged in September 2019. After returning to Odisha, they were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
The state government had sanctioned Rs 1 crore from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) for the treatment of the twins.
Experts said that chance of such cases occurring is one in three million and barely 12 or 13 such surgeries have been done globally during the last 33 years.