Afghan girl injured in blast recovers at AIIMS

It is a miracle for ten-year-old Zakia Moqim, who is finally able to stand and is hopeful again to lead a normal life. Moqim was airlifted from Afghanistan 14 days back after she was injured in a bomb blast on November 1. Surgeons at Jai Prakash Narain Apex Trauma Center (AIIMS) confirmed that she has completely recovered from the neurosurgical issue and is good to go home in a few days.

"She was brought here a week after the blast, unconscious and with some massive damage to her brain. There were some infections too due to untreated injuries. We had to put her on a ventilator and give drugs to reduce swelling," said Dr Deepak Gupta, Professor of Neurosurgery, AIIMS.
"Multiple shrapnel had penetrated her right lobe and thus there was swelling," he added.

Moqim, who is now walking and is ambulatory, went through few surgeries, including an orthopaedic surgery to treat the infections in her right leg.

She is now being taken care of at the Neurological Intensive Care Unit with regular antibiotics.

Accompanied by her father, the 10-year-old girl has not stopped smiling since she came to her senses after the surgery.

"Presently, the child is fully alert and conscious. Weakness in her left arm and leg has improved significantly. She also had a fracture in her leg with skin loss, which was managed by the Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery team here," stated a press note by AIIMS Trauma Centre.

The case was treated as a 'goodwill gesture' when her father approached the Afghan Embassy in Delhi, which then reached out to a Consortium of AIIMS, to help and treat the little victim of violence.