New Delhi: The 23-year-old girl, battling for life at Safdarjung hospital after being brutally gangraped here was flown to Singapore last night and has been admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in an air ambulance for specialised treatment .
The plane carrying the girl landed at the Changi International Airport at 7.30 AM (5 AM IST), the Indian High Commission in Singapore said, confirming the girl's arrival.
"The patient arrived at Mount Elizabeth Hospital's Intensive Care Unit this morning in an extremely critical condition," the spokesperson said.
"She is being examined and the hospital is working with the Indian High Commission. We request that the privacy of the patient and family be respected," the spokesperson added.
The Mount Elizabeth hospital has a state-of-the-art facility for multi-organ transplant, Dr B D Athani, Medical Superintindent of the Safdarjung Hospital, told reporters on Wednesday.
The private chartered air ambulance belonging to ARE Airways, which is equipped with sophisticated ICU facilities, took off at around 11.45 PM.
Dr Yatin Gupta, Head of the Critical Care Unit(CCU) at the Safdarjung hospital and a team of four doctors along with the girl's parents accompanied the girl.
Official sources said passport and Singapaore visa for the girl and some of her family members who accompanied her in the air ambulance were expedited by the External Affairs Ministry.
The sources said the Indian High Commission in Singapore has been asked by the government here to render all assistance for the girl.
Sources said the decision to shift the girl to Singapore was taken at the highest level of the government.
Dr Athani said based on the advice of a team of doctors, the Government of India had made arrangements for the patient to be shifted in a well-equipped air ambulance which will entail minimum travel. The flying time between Delhi and Singapore is five-and-a-half hours.
"The team of doctors decided that the patient be shifted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital (in Singapore). The said hospital has the state-of-the-art facility for multi-organ transplant.
The treatment might take longer," he said.
Stating that the girl has suffered severe intestinal and abdominal injuries, he said more than once that the girl would have to undergo treatment in Singapore which could take several weeks. Parts of the girl's intenstine were surgically removed.
"She was being provided the best available aid by a team of specialised doctors. She had to be operated upon thrice," he said.
He suggested that Singapore was chosen as the destination for the treatment as it was closer from India and the hospital has state-of-the-art multi-organ transplant facility.
The girl has remained on ventilator support during most part of her treatment here since she was admitted to Safdarjung hospital on December 16 after she was gangraped in a moving bus that night in South Delhi that sparked a nation-wide outrage.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier in the day mulled various options on further treatment of the victim but left it to doctors to take a final decision.
Official sources said government will bear all expenses of the girl's treatment in Singapore.
The victim, whom doctors described as "psychologically composed and optimistic about future", had shown signs of improvement during treatment but her condition worsened late last night after her pulse rate plummetted for a brief period.
The periodic bouts of infection were also a source of concern for the doctors.
Watch: Victim admitted to Singapore hospital
