DHAKA, Jan 19, 2020 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today assured that all kinds of support would be provided for conducting critical conjoined twins surgery like that of Rabeya and Rukaya.
The prime minister gave the assurance when Chief Coordinator of Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute Dr Samanta Lal Sen met her at the Prime Minister’s Office here this morning to show the present pictures of Rabeya and Rukaya.
“Our affectionate Prime Minister has assured us of providing all sorts of help to conduct such critical surgery successfully in future,” Dr Sen told BSS.
The prime minister, he said, also emphasized that the medical students should pursue all sorts of education for such operation.
Conjoined Rabeya and Rukaya – who were born with joint heads, were separated after a successful operation titled “Operation Freedom” at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in the city on August 2, 2019.
Dr Sen said the prime minister was very much delighted to see Rabeya and Rukaya leading a normal life in the pictures.
“The honourable prime minister asked me to make a video on the case and project it before the people so they can know how far our health sector has advanced,” he added.
Dr Sen said the surgery of the conjoined twins was very rare in the world, adding only 17 such operations were carried out in the world so far and the surgery of Rabeya and Rukaya was first in the entire Asia.
“I’m very fortunate that I was able to coordinate the surgery only because of the blessing of the prime minister,” he said.
Dr Sen said at first PM’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana informed her (PM) about conjoined Rabeya and Rukaya and urged for medical support if possible.
“Then the premier called me and gave me the case to deal with it,” said Dr Sen.
“Now they are leading a normal life but around a month before we conducted a neuro surgery on Rabeya and she needs another surgery a month later,” he said.
With the support of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Defenceless People Foundation (ADPF), an agency of the Hungarian government, the operation of conjoined twins was carried out.
Earlier they were sent to Hungary for treatment and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina bore their entire treatment cost at home and abroad.
The 33-hour surgery, which separated their skulls and brains, ended where more than a hundred surgeons and anesthetists from home and abroad took part.
The three and half years old twins, who were born with joint heads, suffered from a rare embryological disorder affecting an estimated one in every five to six million births. They, daughters of Rafikul Islam, hailed from Chatmohor upazila in Pabna.
Experts from the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, the Heart Foundation, the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and the Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Hungary took part in the very intricate surgery.
Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services Major General Md Fashiur Rahman, Consultant Surgeon General of DGMS Major General Mahbubur Rahman, Dr Habibe Milllat, MP, Dr Csapody, the leader of the Hungarian medical team and its members Dr Csoky and Dr Pataki and other physicians took part in the operation, among others.