NEW DELHI – In an unprecedented move the doctors of India and Pakistanjoined hands to give a new lease of life to a three-year-old Afghan girllast month.
The minor patient named Hadia Nesari was suffering from chronic liverproblem and under treatment in a Lahore-based hospital. An immediate livertransplant surgery was required to save her life.
Dr Huma Cheema, the paediatric hepatologist who was treating Nesari,contacted the doctors at Indraparashta Apollo Hospital in Delhi after thecondition of the minor girl deteriorated.
“The young girl was admitted in a hospital in Lahore. She had contractedchronic liver disease of unknown cause,” Dr Anupam Sibal, group medicaldirector and senior consultant, paediatric gastroenterology and hepatology,Apollo Hospital, told ThePrint.
After observing the reports, the Indian doctors suggested immediatesurgery, Sibal said, adding that doctors of both sides showed vastcooperation, rekindling a hope for the minor girl’s family.
As the Afghan family was poor to pay the surgery’s cost, all the expensesfor the operation was borne by Pakistani doctor Cheema. Moreover, theIndian hospital also offered the surgery at the subsidised rate afterCheema showed generosity.
“Dr Cheema suggested that we go to India for the liver transplant but wehad no money. She supported us financially and we got the Indian visawithin a week,” Hadia’s mother Muzhgan said.
“We have no words to thank them,” she said, adding that her daughter isalive today due to the immense efforts by the doctors of both sides.
Hadia reached Delhi on July 5 and the successful surgery was performed atthe Apollo Hospital in 12 hours. The minor girls’ father, Ahmed Fawad,became her donor.
An Indian doctor said that she is doing well and her medical tests arenormal. Hadia Naseri has now reached Afghanistan to her home inMazar-i-Sharif.
In a statement, Cheema said when she asked the patient’s family to go livertransplant, they broke down due to not having resources to save the life ofHadia. “It was the time when I decided to help them out in this situation”