Conjoined twins parents relent, agree for surgery

​Hyderabad: Parents of the conjoined twins Veena and Vani are not inclined to take them home as they cannot afford to bring them up and the hospital authorities citing legal reasons for not being able to keep them any longer. It has been nine years since the conjoined twins have been staying at the Niloufer Hospital which has become their home.

In the past one month, there has been a flurry of activity, starting with the hospital authorities calling the parents in June and informing them to take the twins back as they attained 13 years of age. The parents Murali and Nagalaxmi wrote a letter to the State government, citing economic reasons for not taking them back. On Tuesday, they wrote another letter giving their consent for the risky surgery.

It may be noted that in the past nine years, the parents did not give permission to surgery after several doctors from across the world examined the twins and said that there was 80 per cent chance of survival. But on Tuesday, in a turnaround, the parents said that they were ready for the surgery. Doctors at Niloufer said that it was for the first time in 13 years that the parents had approved of a surgery.

Murali, the father, who is an autorickshaw driver, said they (along with his wife) took this decision after much thought. “We have two more girls to take care of and do not have the capacity to take care of Veena and Vani. We requested the government to provide accommodation and a teacher for both children.

They said Veena and Vani are God’s children and God would take care of them and hence they are willing for the surgery.” They said that it was now for the government to come to their rescue. It may be noted that recently the Niloufer Hospital authorities had informed the twins’ parents that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) report that it was a risky operation and also told them that as they are 13 years old, it was not possible to keep them in the hospital.

The parents were first informed about the AIIMS doctors’ apprehensions about the success of the operation and advised them to take back the children on June 8. The parents then wrote a letter to the State government on June 18 about their unwillingness and the Tuesday’s letter about their consent for the surgery with a request for accommodation and a teacher for the twins.

The children, born on October 15, 2003, were taken to a hospital in Guntur when they were three days old and were brought to Niloufer Hospital in 2006 and have been staying there ever since. Nagalaxmi, the mother said, “My children are now Niloufer Hospital’s children and they do not want to leave the hospital.

We are just not in a position to take care of the children.” Dr Suresh, superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, said they never asked the parents to take back the children and it was the government to decide how long the twins should stay. Senior doctors, however, pointed out that usually once children attained the age of 12-13 years, they were not kept in the hospital.