Conjoined Nigerian twins successfully separated in Saudi

Conjoined Nigerian twins Hassanah and Hasina have been successfully separated in an hours-long operation that began Thursday morning in Saudi Arabia.

The operation, which is expected to last for an overall of 14 hours, is still underway as it consists of eight different phases, according to Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Rabeeah, Adviser to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

Al-Rabeeah, who is leading the surgical team, said that after the twins were separated, the reconstruction process has begun.

“We still have a couple of hours left for the reconstruction process, but thanks God the decisive phase has passed,” al-Rabeeah told Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya state television.

The twins, who were born in 2022, were conjoined at the abdomen, pelvis, liver, intestines, urinary and reproductive systems and pelvic bones areas.

A team of 35 people of doctors, medical experts and nurses are participating in the procedure, which is taking place at the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Thursday’s operation is the 56th case in a series of operations that have been taking place in the Kingdom since 1990, al-Rabeeah said.