New Delhi: Two months after conjoined twins from Odisha, Jaga and Kalia, were separated through a surgery at AIIMS, Director Randeep Guleria on Saturday said the twins will take another eight to nine months to get discharged as the vital reconstructive surgeries of their skull is yet to be done.
Guleria said that while the two had been separated, the grafting of skin on their skull has to be done, after which they would be under observation till their recovery.
"Discharging the two (Jaga and Kalia) may take eight to nine months, as now there has to be lots of reconstructive and re-plastic surgery for the skull of the two babies.
"Though the top of the brain has been separated, the top has to be re-grafted with skin, so that may take months. It's a long-drawn process and depends on how things go on," said Guleria.
Noting that skin grafting was not an easy task, Guleria said usually the skin was taken from some other part of the body and used where it was needed.
Doctors at the hospital had successfully conducted 22-hour-long craniopagus surgery to separate Jagga and Kalia on October 25 and 26. The twins, whose cranium were fused, were brought to the AIIMS on July 14 from Milipada village in Kandhamal district.
The first phase of surgery, where experts from Japan were also present, was done on August 28. In it, a new bypass technique was used for the first time to separate the twins.
Meanwhile, this is for the first time Jaga and Kalia will celebrate a New Year 'separately', albeit from a hospital ward.
While the children battled death and conquered it, life has been equally challenging for their parents.
"Jaga and Kalia are the two halves of my heart. If either of them breaks, my heart would be shattered," said Pushpanjali Kanhar, mother of the two-years-eight-month old twins.
"It is my faith that they will soon be fine and we all shall return to our village Milipada," she said.
(With input from agencies)