Palpa, November 30:

Til Kumari Reshmimagar of Pelakot VDC-7 in Syangja yesterday gave birth to a child that had no brain tissue in its skull. The child, born in Lumbini Medical College Teaching Hospital in Tansen of Palpa district, died shortly after birth.

Gynaecologist Dr Binita Subedi said Til Kumari had to be given drugs for four days for the delivery to take place. She added that such a child was born due to deficiency of folic acid in the mother’s bloodstream. The child was delivered a month before the due time of nine months.

Dr Laxmi Gautam said that chances of such children surviving are nil or too little. She added that Til Kumari’s health condition was normal though a caesarean section had to be done on her to deliver the child. Til Kumari’s family sources said she had earlier delivered two such similar children but neither survived.

Also yesterday, doctors at the hospital had to undertake a Herculean labour to rid Lokisara Gaha, 44, of Gejha VDC-2 in Palpa district, of 10 litres of pus accumulated in her kidney, said Dr Perlin Rai adding that it took him and two more doctors — Bipendra Rai and Prakash Sapkota — four hours to perform the operation. Gaha is recuperating well, said hospital sources. Her nephew Prith Bahadur Saru said she was admitted to hospital after her stomach began swelling two months ago and assumed monstrous proportions.