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Conjoined twin sisters Jannat and Umme Kulsum from Daulatpur in Kushtia died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Wednesday (August 12).
Daulatpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Anindya Guha confirmed their deaths.
The baby girls were born by Caesarean section on May 4 at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to Nahid Hasan, 26, and Sanjida Yasmin Mukta, 22, of Bilgathua Madhyapara village in Pragpur Union.
The twins had been joined from the chest to the abdomen since birth. Doctors had said there was a possibility of separating them through surgery, but the cost of treatment and surgery posed a major challenge for their low-income family.
After media reports brought the case to the attention of the Health Ministry, the government decided to cover all expenses related to their treatment.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain Bakul later informed the children’s father that the ministry would bear the costs of surgery, treatment, follow-up care and other related expenses. The twins were subsequently taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday for treatment.
Family member Zahid Hossain said the babies’ condition suddenly deteriorated after Wednesday afternoon. They were moved to the intensive care unit, but died later that evening while undergoing treatment.
UNO Anindya Guha said the twins had been taken to Dhaka following instructions from the Health Ministry. Their condition worsened on Wednesday afternoon, after which they were transferred to the ICU, but they could not be saved.