Conjoined twins die, hospital criticized

Conjoined twins die, hospital criticized

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Newborn conjoined twins Ardi and Arda from Kampung Naga village
in Tangerang died on Monday at Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital (RSCM) before doctors could perform surgery on them.

Ardi and Arda, who were born on Friday with the help of a
midwife, were originally taken to the city-run Tangerang General
Hospital for treatment. They were then transferred to RSCM.

The twins, joined at the neck and abdomen, were admitted to
the RSCM's Perinatal Unit late on Friday. They were then
transferred to the Children's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as their
condition worsened.

Ardi, the smaller twin, died at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, while
his brother Arda died at 9 a.m.

The head of the Perinatal Unit, Idham Amir, refused comment
when contacted by The Jakarta Post, referring all questions to
the Children's ICU.

The hospital's public relations department said doctors could
not comment until an official statement from the hospital
director was issued.

Iskandar Sitorus of the Health Legal Aid Foundation (LBH
Kesehatan) accused the hospital of being slow to treat the
conjoined twins.

"There was no team of doctors assigned to take care of Arda
and Ardi, unlike in the previous case of the conjoined twins
Anggi and Anjeli. The twins did not get proper treatment from the
hospital," he said.

Iskandar was referring to conjoined twins from Medan, North
Sumatra, who were joined from the waist down and shared a third
leg.

He said that after Ardi died, doctors caring for the twins
asked the father, Sutikno, to sign a statement agreeing to an
operation to separate the pair. However, before the surgery could
be conducted, Arda died.

Iskandar said the twins parents had no plans to sue the
hospital.