New lease of life for Lakshmi

Today (7th November, 2007) in Bangalore, a team of thirty doctors created history. They have operated on a two year old Lakshmi for 27 hours to remove a parasite twin that she was born with. In simple words, Lakshmi was born with extra four limbs and torso attached at the hip but without head.

Lakshmi was born to a poor couple in the state of Bihar on India-Nepal border. When she was born, people in her village thought that she is a reincarnation of Goddess and were reportedly lining up at the house to receive her blessings.

Parents may have been relieved then to see the villagers treat the child with divine respect but they may have had their own doubts when some men approached them to place their child in a circus. Somehow when they gathered up courage to seek medical advice, they were advised to go for surgery to remove the parasitic twin that Lakshmi may live beyond adolescent age. But they couldn’t afford the high cost of such a complex surgery.

Well….all is not lost. A hospital in Bangalore (long way from home) had come forward to do the surgery at no cost. Today they did it and they announced that the surgery is a success. It is the first time such a surgery is performed. They expect the child to have full recovery and to have good future on her own two feet.

This must make one believe that India has the expertise to perform very complex surgeries and that this country is not without heart. India is becoming a haven for medical tourism. Just last year, India has received more than 100,000 patients from foreign countries to have various kinds of procedures performed on them.

So my question is why is it that India is sending children with conditions as simple as clubfeet and harelip abroad in the name of inter-country adoption? Can these children not be operated and rehabilitated before attempts are being made to place in adoption within the country? Lakshmi’s operation is not just single incidence of good will but I have a personal experience with our own organization – The HOPE House. When I approached my Alma mater – country’s largest medical institution – Christian Medical College & Hospital (CMCH) seeking medical assistance for our children, they generously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with us to provide all in-patient care to our children at no cost. As and when we are allowed to do adoptions, we will make use of CMCH’s full help to assist the families in adopting special needs children. Such kind of partnerships is the need of the hour to help every child that is in need of medical help.