Indian-origin neurosurgeon helps save Israeli twins conjoined at the head
A world-renowned Indian-origin pediatric neurosurgeon in the UK has helped a group of Israeli doctors to successfully operate on a pair of twins conjoined at the head, with the babies now likely to lead normal lives, a media report said. Dr. Noor Ul Owase Jeelani and his colleague, Professor David Dunaway, are globally seen as experts on such cases.
We're all one and medicine transcends all divisions: Dr. Jeelani
This is for the first time that Dr. Jeelani, who was born in Kashmir and works at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, agreed to perform such a surgery outside the UK when contacted by doctors at Israel's Soroka Hospital, according to The Times of Israel report. Dr. Jeelani said, from a doctor's point of view, we're all one and that medicine transcends all divisions.
All children are same, whatever color or religion: Dr. Jeelani
"He said that the fact that a Kashmir-born Muslim doctor scrubbed up alongside an Israeli team to help a Jewish family was a reminder of the universal nature of medicine," the report quoted him as saying. "It was a fantastic family that we helped," Dr. Jeelani said, adding, as I've said all my life, all children are the same, whatever color or religion.
Family's delight after the operation was deeply moving: Dr. Jeelani
"The distinctions are man-made. A child is a child," he emphasized. The doctor found the family's delight at the success of the operation "deeply moving." "There was this very special moment when the parents were just over the moon. I have never in my life seen a person smile, cry, be happy, and be relieved at the same time," Dr. Jeelani said.
Dr. Jeelani worked for months on the surgery
Dr. Jeelani is said to have also worked for months on the surgery of the Israeli twins. "We've been involved right from the start, talking to the team in Israel and planning it with them over a period of six months," he said.
Surgery fulfills the objective of empowering local teams abroad: Doctor
"This latest surgery fulfills a key objective of our charity, namely, to empower local teams abroad to undertake this complex work, successfully utilizing our experience, knowledge, and skills gained over the past 15 years with our previous four sets of twins," he stressed. It's also a major achievement for the medical team at Israel's Soroka Hospital that managed this complex operation.
Following the success, he went on to establish Gemini Untwined
He raised the money for the surgery from a Pakistani oil trader and, with Dunaway, successfully performed the operation after hundreds of hours of preparation. Following the success, he went on to establish Gemini Untwined, a non-profit organization, to plan and perform such operations.
