By Faris Al-Qahtani
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — King Abdullah Specialized Hospital announced the success of the surgical separation of a Sudanese Siamese twins.
The head of the Surgical and Medical Team for Siamese Twins Separation Operations Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah said the latest Siamese twins separation operation is the 42nd successful operation done at King Abdullah Specialized Hospital for Children in King Abdulaziz Medical City under the Ministry of the National Guard for the past 22 years.
“The twins Ramah and Waddah were conjoined at the abdomen and pelvis. Each one of them has one leg and is conjoined with the other for the third leg. Their total weight is 18 kg. The operation lasted 11 hours and had nine phases,” said Al-Rabiah.
He also said the operation ended earlier than expected and there were 30 specialists on the medical team.
“There were anesthetists, child surgery specialists, plastic surgery specialists, orthopedists, urologists, nurses and practitioners. Having a team of specialists is what made the transition from one phase to another smooth and healthy. The twins’ condition was stable and there were no surprises during the operation,” said Al-Rabiah.
He added the twins are now in intensive care. They will move on to the next phase within two to three weeks.
The father of the twins Haroon Ishaq said he is grateful to the humanitarian efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.
“The King’s generosity and compassion has relieved us from our misery. We didn’t know how to save the twins. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that the hospital has reached out to us and wanted to offer its services to us,” said Ishaq.
He added he comes from a small village in Al-Jinainah City west of Sudan.
“My sons were born in a natural birth at home. My wife and I had no idea that they were conjoined. We didn’t go to visit any doctors as my wife was pregnant because we did not have any money,” said Ishaq.
He added after his sons were born they realized that the twins were conjoined.
“We went to the hospital of the city we were in and the doctors there advised us to go to the capital Khartoum. We visited many doctors and they all said they could not perform the separation surgery. We kept searching and we remembered that the Kingdom had previously done a separation operation for a Siamese twins Mamdouh and Mahmoud,” said Ishaq.
He added he called on the parents of the twin to know more about the process of being able to have the operation.
“Friends and relatives advised us to write a proposal to the King through the Sudanese ambassador in Saudi Arabia. I wrote and sent my request and within a few weeks I received an approval to have the operation done at the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh,” said Ishaq.
He added he was extremely elated to have the opportunity to give his sons a normal and healthy life.
