Cuttack: Despite the assurance of Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena to provide free treatment to the conjoined twins of Nayagarh—Ganga and Jamuna—their father had to cough up money to get the babies’ blood tests done here Wednesday.
While visiting the conjoined twins after they were shifted to Sishu Bhawan from Nayagarh hospital Saturday, Jena had said that the government will bear their treatment expenses.
“Quality treatment will be extended to the conjoined twins and any type of negligence in their treatment will not be tolerated,” the minister had said.
Sources said, the father of the conjoined twins went to SCB Medical College and Hospital Wednesday with their blood samples.
The employees at the blood testing centre at SCB demanded `800 for the test. Although the twin’s father told the employees that the health minister had assured him of free treatment, they did not pay any heed. The hapless father had no option but to pay the fees.
Replying to queries of media persons SCB superintendent Shyama Kanungo expressed ignorance about the matter, while Sishu Bhawan superintendent Saroj Kumar Satpathy said that it should not have happened.
Satpathy was learnt to have inquired into the matter as to who had taken the money. Later, he informed that the money had been refunded to the father of the conjoined twins.
Meanwhile, several questions are being raised as to why the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test of the twins has not been conducted as yet. Sishu Bhawan superintendent said that the test has not been done as the MRI machine of SCB is lying defunct.
An employee of the MRI centre at Sishu Bhawan however said that the machine was functional but that doctors were having some issues in conducting the MRI test of the twins. It was later learnt that the 12-member team of doctors formed to treat the twins held a meeting Wednesday and decided to conduct the MRI test Thursday.
PNN
