Fed up with the inaction of the health department in initiating a dialogue on Veena-Vani case, activists of a city-based NGO, Helping Hand Foundation, staged a protest outside Niloufer hospital on Friday.
The protest, which had the conjoined twins' father M Murali joining the group of activists, was held two weeks after a high court in an interim order had directed the state government to hold talks with the NGO but to no avail.
They held placards to drive home several issues that the NGO had sought to highlight in its public interest litigation (PIL) including the fact that Veena and Vani were 'living like caged animals in the hospital for the last 13 years.
"I have been trying to contact both the hospital and government authorities for a meeting on several issues surrounding Veena-Vani as directed by the high court on September 1 but there has been no response from anybody yet," said Mujtaba Hasan Askari, managing trustee and president, NGO, Helping Hand Foundation.
He told that “he had failed thrice in his attempts at holding a meeting with government officials on several issues of concern such as giving direct access to parents of Veena and Vani to meet the conjoined twins, maintenance support that the NGO is willing to contribute every month for the upkeep of the twins besides exploring possibility of constitution of a medical board to take all medical decisions on their behalf.”
In fact, a fresh attempt by NGO's activists to hold a dialogue with Niloufer hospital authorities on Friday failed as they could not meet the hospital superintendent, Dr C Suresh Kumar. When they sought an audience with resident medical officer, Dr K Usha Rani, she expressed helplessness saying that “it was for the government to take a decision on issues concerning the conjoined twins.”
"We want the government to take a clear decision on their possible surgical separation as several experts have expressed interest in taking up the case of Veena-Vani ," said M Murali, father of the twins, adding that they want to live with their daughters either in Hyderabad or at their native place in Warangal but cannot do so unless they are provided with financial help.
"Both their education and growth has got affected in the last 13 years of their hospital stay as in such an environment, there cannot be healthy development," he added.
However, a senior doctor at Niloufer hospital on condition of anonymity, questioned the timing of the protest when Veena and Vani's case was being taken up by the high court. "The twins live in an air-conditioned room and have been provided caretakers and a teacher at the hospital. They are doing very well as their interests and needs are being looked after by the hospital authorities," said the doctor.
Also Read: Vani's Health Condition not Stable!
BY M.DIVYA SRI
