Conjoined twins Veena and Vani, who turned 14 last October, were moved to the State Home for children on Sunday after spending 11 years at Niloufer hospital.
The twins, who were brought to the State-run hospital in 2006 when they were only three, were born joined at the head. They could not be separated despite several rounds of medical consultations over the last decade. The State moved the twins out of the hospital to facilitate their growth and development in a more socially conducive environment.
Veena and Vani were moved at 7.30 a.m. on Sunday to the home where they were welcomed by the staff and inmates. They were also accompanied by staff from the hospital. The twins hail from Mahbubabad. Their parents had cited financial difficulty in caring for them before leaving their welfare to the government. The parents have, however, stated they are willing to take their children back after surgical separation.
At the home, the twins will be cared for by some of the staff who looked after them at Niloufer hospital. “We used to take our children to visit the girls at the hospital but they need time to get acclimatised here. So their caretakers will be caring for them until they are familiar with our staff,” said an in-charge at the home. The move to the State home raised eyebrows as parents and others concerned about the girls’ welfare claimed they were not told about the move. The twin’s father M. Murali said he had met the girls a few days ago at the hospital but the staff had not shared any plans of moving the girls. Mujtaba Hasan Askari, president, Helping Hand Foundation that filed a petition in High Court asking for the State to move the twins out of the hospital, said the government should have informed parents about the move. Mr. Askari also said the petition urged the State to constitute a panel of experts including a noted paediatric neurosurgeon to evaluate the twins for surgical separation.
