Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Riyadh Emir Prince Faisal bin Bandar inaugurated the International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh on Sunday.

The conference, which began on the International Day of Conjoined Twins that falls on Nov. 24, also marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.

Delivering the speech of King Salman, Prince Faisal welcomed the participants to Saudi Arabia, and conveyed to them the greetings of the King. In the speech, the emir delved deep into the utmost keenness of Saudi Arabia and its remarkable achievements in the field of surgical separation of conjoined twins. "This conference is being held on the occasion of the passage of more than 30 years since the start of the Saudi National Program for Conjoined Twins, in which the humanity of medicine converged with the legacy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia derived from our true Islamic religion," he said.

He continued: "Conjoined twins face complex challenges, including their rarity, as their incidence rate is estimated at about one in 50,000 births; which requires dedicated scientific and medical efforts to overcome these challenges, and intensifying regional and international efforts to ensure overcoming difficulties in this field, and providing the necessary support and care for these cases."

Prince Faisal said that the Kingdom has paid great attention to conjoined twins cases within the framework of its humanitarian efforts for more than three decades. "Believing in the importance of enabling them to enjoy their right to the highest possible level of physical and mental health, this resulted in the presentation of a distinguished model in medical care embodied by the Saudi National Program for Conjoined Twins. This was represented in the care of 143 cases from 26 countries, and the performance of 61 successful surgical separations making it one of the largest specialized humanitarian medical programs in the world, and the only program specialized in the world in the separation of conjoined twins," he noted.

"Based on the successful experience of Saudi Arabia in conjoined twin separation operations, and its pioneering role in this field, and its belief in the importance of paying attention and care to this group, the Kingdom took the initiative to submit the draft resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly considering this day, November 24 of each year, as the International Day of Conjoined Twins in order to raise awareness of conjoined twin cases at all levels," he pointed out.

In concluding remarks, Prince Faisal thanked the medical teams who dealt with this type of delicate surgery with humanity and professionalism, asking God Almighty that the joint efforts contribute to enhancing attention to this group, and increasing the quality of the healthcare and services provided to them.

General Supervisor of the KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, and Director General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also spoke on the occasion. The emir inaugurated an exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference. He also witnessed the signing of nine agreements between the KSrelief and several humanitarian and relief organizations.

Several princes, ministers, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kingdom, and leaders of Saudi, Gulf, Arab and international governmental and non-governmental organizations, and UN organizations working in the humanitarian field and experts attended the inaugural session.