RIYADH, 3 October 2003 — King Abdul Aziz Medical City’s National Guard Hospital will begin the operation to separate Egyptian conjoined twins tomorrow at 7.30 a.m., according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, executive operational manager for health affairs at the National Guard Hospital and head of the surgical team.
Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, last month said he would pay for the operation out of his own pocket.
Dr. Bothayna Murshid, who is associate dean for administrative affairs at the National Guard Hospital and a member of the surgical team, said the operation would take between five and six hours.
The 21-member surgical team includes anesthetists, surgeons, nurses, plastic surgeons, and pediatric surgeons, Dr. Murshid said.
In a radio interview yesterday, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said 80 percent of the medical team were Saudis, and all of them had worked on previous separations at the hospital. “That percentage is high compared to 30 percent when the first separation operation took place at the hospital in 1991,” said Dr. Al-Rabeeah.
Readers can view the complete names of the operating team as well as updated information on the process of the operation on the hospital’s website (www.ngha.med.sa).
