October 31, 2011
Binjai, North Sumatra. A baby reportedly born with three heads in Binjai, North Sumatra, on Saturday is struggling to survive, according to his grandmother, and requires more expensive medical treatment than his parents can afford.
“The baby’s condition is worrying,” said Syamsidar, the grandmother of the newborn baby. “His weight is four kilograms, and he was born with three heads supported only by one body.”
According to Antara, Dimyana, the doctor in charge of the baby’s care, has recommended that he be moved from the intensive care unit of Kesrem Binjai hospital to the Hajj Adam Malik hospital in Medan, which has more modern facilities.
The doctor told Antara that the unusual infant was possibly suffering from a neural tube defect, a fairly common birth defect that can result in a wide range of abnormalities including spina bifida and anencephaly, or absence of the brain.
But “the family has no money to bring him to Medan, because the father is only an unskilled laborer in a shop in Binjai,” Syamsidar said.
She added that the family was hoping that a generous benefactor would step in and offer to pay the infant’s medical costs.
Dimyana said that so far the baby was coping, but that specialized treatment would likely be necessary to extend the infant’s life much longer.
(read in the JG)
ma 31 okt 2011 - 16:51