Neurosurgeon Ashok Kumar Mahapatra dies at AIIMS New Delhi

Neurosurgeon Ashok Kumar Mahapatra has died while receiving treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, according to reports citing family sources and hospital treatment. He was known for leading the 2017 operation to separate conjoined twins Jaga and Balia, a landmark procedure in Indian medicine. Mahapatra died on Monday night, November 2, according to reports. He had been receiving treatment for neurological ailments. One account said he was moved to AIIMS New Delhi on October 2 after his condition deteriorated. Reports differ on his age: some said he was 74, while another gave his age as 73. The twins’ separation took place at AIIMS New Delhi in 2017. Mahapatra led the surgical team in an operation involving conjoined twins joined at the head, known medically as craniopagus twins. The procedure was described in reports as the first successful separation of its kind in India. One account said the operation was carried out in stages and involved about 40 specialists, including neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, pediatricians and anesthetic experts. It also reported that a vein graft was used to create an alternative drainage route in Balia’s brain....