The true story of a Dalit girl
Believing the unbelievable: Amputated arm gets two fingers!

Napoleon Bonaparte had rightly said that he possesses no such word as "impossible" in his dictionary. People disagreed then and some might wish to subscribe to his views yet. But the fact is that with the miraculous advancement in the field of Science and Technology, more specifically speaking in the Medicinal Science, the word impossible has already lost its original thrust or for that matter the maning.

Nothing is called absurd, this is what I suppose now. My contention is that a person can achieve the miracles provided he or she dedicates him or herself to the task to which he or she is committed to accomplish.

What others in the developed world have already achieved, we in Nepal appear too not lagging behind to accomplish those jobs which till the other day were considered as impossible. It is altogether a different matter that we in Nepal achieve or accomplish such miracles late for the technology which others use apparently come to this country bit late. This is no surprise then that we do the same things bit late for the lack of latest technology.

To cut short, I am pleased to announce today to my valued readers that our men engaged in medicinal practices too could exhibit their talent and acumen provided they are equipped with the latest technological instruments.

The story runs like this:

Mishap is a mishap. No body knows when and how such mishap occurs. However, one such accident or a mishap of the highest order gripped a family living in far-flung district of KHOTANG recently. The said mishap gripped a lady of a particular Dalit family who had to lose her both hands rendering her both hands useless. It was a fire-burn injury, which demanded that her arms be amputated. Understandably, what panic could have gripped the family members is any body’s guess. The girl’s family members had to support the lady in taking her meals, which was indeed a difficult task.

As the luck would have it, the lady or say the girl, 24, still unmarried, was brought to Kathmandu and admitted to Bir Hospital.

A team of doctors at the Plastic surgery department at first provided some relief to the lady and assured her that things will be better for her when she will be taken care of by the Orthopedic department at the same hospital.

On June 13, the doctors at the Ortho department at the Bir Hospital took up a challenge of the Himalayan order and thus exhibited their hidden expertise that Nepali doctors too could match any authorities in the world provided they were allowed to do so and concurrently if the patients trusted their own fellow countrymen engaged in this sector.

The lady was thus operated which took hours and hours. The team was led by Senior Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Shiva Prasad Adhikari. The Operation became a success.

The lady’s right hand was missing from elbow stump and the left arm was missing above wrist stump.

In effect what Dr. Adhikari accomplished along with the active and significant support of his anaesthetic team and other colleagues was that her "Left arm was divided into two equal halves that now looks like the lady is having her two fingers as others possess".

Doctors attending her say that soon the lady will be able to use spoons through the use of her recently managed fingers and could take her meals on her own. No less an achievement indeed. Nothing untoward has happened as yet, say Hospital sources.

Sources in the Hospital said that such operations had already been done at the same hospital but unfortunately the case failed.

While we congratulate the team of the previous case, we would wish to warmly congratulate Dr. Adhikari and his sincere team members who apparently have given a new lease of life to this lady from Khotang.

We have no words to express as to how much pleased we are at the Telegraph in writing that such tough and delicate surgical cases could be accomplished right here in our own country.

Kudos to you Dr. Shiva Adhikari and to your team that ultimately saved the lady from living a frustrated and dependent life. It is understandable what such accidents of such magnitude means to a Nepali lady who has lost her both the arms.

Finally, yet again, our salute to the medical practitioners at the Bir Hospital. The rest the photographs will tell itself.

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