A 13-year-old girl from Pakistan has been successfully operated upon by an Indian doctor to straighten her neck that had bent 90 degrees. The surgery is being described as “probably the first case of its kind in the world”.

Thirteen-year-old Afsheen Gul from the Sindh province, had slipped out of her sister’s arm when she was just 10 months old which caused a rotation of her spine leading to neck impairment. She was rushed to a doctor but her condition continued to become worse. She was given medicine and a belt was put around her neck for support.

Due to her condition, she could neither walk nor talk and required her mother’s help in everything. She remained at home while others went to school and played.

Media reports about her condition caught the attention of an American organisation which raised funds for her online to help the family to get her operated. A British scribe, Alexandria Thomas, got her brother Yaqoob Kumbar in touch with Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, a doctor at Delhi’s Apollo Hospital and a specialist in complex spinal surgeries.

On hearing her case, Krishnan offered to operate and treat Gul for free.

In February the main surgery which lasted for six hours was conducted and her skull was attached to her spinal cord. At present the doctor conducts weekly checks on her via Skype.

He told the BBC that “this is probably the first case of its kind in the world.”

As a result of her treatment, Gul can now walk and talk though she is not yet ready to go to school.

Describing Krishnan as “an angel”, Kumbar said: “Due to his efforts and supervision, the operation was successful.”