PBM releases Rs 0.6m for treatment of conjoined twins
ISLAMABAD-March 16: The conjoined twins born to Ali Sher and Surrayya of Sahiwal were brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on March 15 where the managing director of the Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) sanctioned a cheque for Rs 600,000 for the treatment of the twins, who are fused at the temporal and parietal levels till two-thirds of their faces.
“Craniopagus twins are born 1 in 10 million, and in most cases, they either die at birth or are stillborn. Since they are extremely rare, and because each craniopagus twin is different from the other in terms of their common and uncommon structures, this will be a challenge of a lifetime for any neurosurgeon,” Dr Khaleeq-uz-Zaman stated while addressing a joint press conference alongside PBM Managing Director Zamurrud Khan.
A team, headed by neurosurgeon Dr Khaleeq-uz-Zaman and comprising Dr Zaheer Abbas and Dr Hameeduddin, has been constituted to look into the case. Dr Khaleeq dismissed the impression of the case requiring emergency handling.
Meanwhile, Zamurrud Khan, who arranged an ambulance to transport the family from Sahiwal to Islamabad overnight, also presented a donation of Rs 50,000 to the parents of the twins and arranged free accommodation and food for the attendants. “It is obligatory for the PBM to bear the treatment expenditure of this poor family,” Zamurrud said while thanking the media for highlighting the case.
Published in Daily News on March 16