Financial Crisis Threatens Life-Saving Surgery for Conjoined Twins in Kushtia
Photo Collected
Three-month-old conjoined twins Zainab and Umme Kulsum, born fused from the chest to the abdomen, face an uncertain future as their parents struggle to afford the specialized medical care required to separate them. The infants, who share a deeply interconnected existence where one’s movement or distress triggers an immediate reaction in the other, were born on May 4 at the Bangladesh Medical University Hospital in Dhaka.
The twins’ parents, Nahid Hassan and Sanjida Akter, residents of Bilgathua village in Kushtia, have found themselves trapped in a cycle of mounting debt while attempting to cover basic costs for milk, medication, and routine care. Hassan, who once worked in a garment factory in the capital, now earns between 9,000 and 10,000 taka monthly as a shop assistant, a salary he describes as insufficient to cover the family’s survival, let alone the high costs of surgical intervention.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Medical professionals have offered hope, suggesting that a complex surgical procedure could successfully separate the twins. However, the procedure requires extensive preliminary testing and long-term observation by specialists. While doctors instructed the family to return to the hospital for follow-up care three months after birth, the parents have been unable to make the trip due to severe financial constraints.
For the parents, the physical limitations of the children’s condition are a daily source of heartbreak. Sanjida Akter struggles with the reality that she cannot hold her daughters individually, noting that every movement causes distress to both infants.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Local health officials, including Daulatpur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Touhidul Hasan, have emphasized that prompt medical intervention is critical to increasing the probability of a successful outcome for the twins.
In response to the family’s plight, local authorities are beginning to mobilize. Ashrafuzzaman Mukul, chairman of the Pragpur Union Parishad, has pledged to bring the case to the attention of higher authorities to secure necessary aid. Furthermore, Daulatpur Upazila Executive Officer Anindya Guha confirmed that the administration is working to facilitate government financial assistance through the social services department to ensure the children receive the treatment they desperately need.
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