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Kathmandu Wednesday April 11, 2001 Chaitra 29, 2057.
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Meticulous separation
Who could have imagined the Nepalese Siamese twins, Ganga and Jamuna, born in
an impoverished family, would make it out of the operation theatre in Singapore, as two
separate individuals? Just a few months ago, it seemed to be a far-fetched dream. Thanks
to the Singaporean surgical team and the Singapore’s Gurkha community, the
eleven-month-old Siamese twins have been separated successfully after a gruelling ordeal
and complex surgery. Were they in Nepal, one could have easily surmised their fate.
Enmeshed at the top of the heads with a single skull cavity, the complex and
complicated surgery on the twins stretched for over 90 hours. A team of medical experts
worked round-the clock since last Friday. Now that the operation has been successful, and
with it the long and agonizing wait of their parents and for many back home is over, but
not completely. The post-surgery care calls for sophisticated medical treatment and
equipment, which naturally means more expenses. So far, the cost of medical treatment has
been borne by the heaps of donations and charity offered by magnanimous and compassionate
people, both Nepalese and Singaporeans. But the Nepali government has done little or
nothing to facilitate their medical treatment. Given the country’s dismal health
status and poor medical facilities, it would be overbearing to expect an enormous help
from the government. This does not, however, mean that the government can put off its duty
and continue tinkling its begging bowl. If the government has some sense of
responsibility, it must step in immediately to help the Nepalese twins, one of the
world’s rarest cases, sail through the recuperation period. We wish the two girls a
speedy recovery.
Numerous international health reports and experts have made it clear that the
morality rate, deformity at birth and pregnancy - related complications are notoriously
high in our country. Unfortunately, no efforts worth mentioning have been made to correct
the unhealthy health sector. The case of Siamese twins is an example of unregistered birth
complications. This case no doubt is highly complex and challenging, but thousands of
children die of epidemic and preventable diseases every year in our country. With the
onset of summer, children are vulnerable to deadly diseases like gastroenteritis, cholera,
encephalitis, malaria and so on. But it has become customary; the government wakes up only
after many young lives succumb to these preventable and seasonal diseases and when things
spin out of their control. A huge budget has been allocated for security measures and
other regular expenditure but every year almost invariably this crucial sector gets
ignored. The case of Siamese twins should serve as a wake up call to allocate an adequate
budget for health in the upcoming budget.
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