The fate of conjoined twins Veena and Vani hangs in balance with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) specialists making it clear that they would be able to take a call on the possibility of separation surgery only after examining them physically.
They have been also exploring the possibility of whether such a surgery can be taken up in India.
There is a likelihood that a team from AIIMS will visit Niloufer Hospital to interact and conduct physical examination of the twins.
The Telangana State government had approached the AIIMS in March and sought their opinion on sending the twins to the United Kingdom for separation surgery at the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
It was learnt that the AIIMS surgeons first wanted to make sure whether there were any chances of conducting a similar surgery in India.
“A team from the AIIMS could visit us in the coming days and conduct tests here since sending them to Delhi is logistically difficult,” says Suresh Chanda, the Principle Secretary, Health, Medical and Family Welfare.
Health officials privy to the details have pointed out that there is a chance that AIIMS surgeons may invite surgeons from the UK Hospital to conduct surgery at AIIMS or any other top facility in the country.
According to the health authorities here, for the purpose special permissions to process visa are required from the Government of India.
UK doctors visit twins
It was in February that the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Craniofacial Unit head Dr. David Dunaway and paediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Noor Ul Owase Jeelani visited Niloufer Hospital to review the condition of the twins.
The surgeons said that a phase-wise separation procedure, spread between eight months and one year, would have 80 per cent chance of success.
The estimated cost for surgery is close to Rs. 9.5 crore.
