Few hospitals have the costly equipment

When Tabassum Ashraf learnt that her 20-week-old twins suffered from the Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, doctors recommended that she make a trip to London or Florida to specialised centres to treat the condition.

When Tabassum Ashraf learnt that her 20-week-old twins suffered from the Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, doctors recommended that she make a trip to London or Florida to specialised centres to treat the condition.

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On May 3, the Hindustan Times had reported how a mother carrying twins suffering from the same syndrome had sought treatment in the US for a cost of Rs12 lakh.

The Ashraf family could not afford the trip, so they requested foetal medicine specialist Dr Chander Lulla to try the procedure in Mumbai.

The foetoscope used in the surgery costs up to Rs 60 lakh and thus very few hospitals in the country own them. The foetoscope used for Tabassum’s surgery was rented from a Delhi-based distributor of surgical equipment.

The foetoscopes used in such surgeries are two to three millimeter in width and can be used to detect and cure a variety of foetal or genetic conditions.