Condition of one of conjoined twins yet to improve: Odisha

Kalia, one of the conjoined twins from Odisha, and separated from his brother Jaga through a high-profile surgery, requires "close medical supervision" as his condition has not improved, the Odisha government said Friday.

While Jaga is recovering well, Kalia's condition requires further improvement," a release issued by Odisha's health and family welfare department said.

The department released the statement after a team of super-specialist doctors led by department special secretary Salini Pundit visited Jaga and Kalia at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Friday.

A neurosurgeon and a pediatrician were a part of the team, the release said.

"Kalia is still underweight, neurologically impaired, being fed through gastronomy tube and requires close medical supervision," the release said.

Last month, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, had requested him to advise the AIIMS authorities to continue treatment of the separated conjoined twins - Jaga and Kalia.

Patnaik wrote the letter to Nadda after he was informed that the Department of Neurology at AIIMS in New Delhi, was pressing to discharge the babies, despite the request of the state government to continue their treatment at AIIMS.

The twins joined at the head, from Milipada village in Odisha's Kandhamal district, were successfully separated after a marathon surgery at the AIIMS, by a team of 30 specialists on October 25, 2017.

The children have been there since then.