RIYADH, 24 December 2004 — The medical team headed by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has found the Polish conjoined girls Daria and Olga Kolacz fit for surgery after a series of tests conducted at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City for National Guard.

“Eighty percent of medical examinations have revealed positive reports for the anticipated surgery and the medical team will announce the day for the surgical separation when the remaining tests are completed during this week,” the Director General of Public Relations at the hospital, Sami Al-Shalaan, told Arab News. He expressed hope that the chain of tests will be finalized within the target period of two weeks.

A team comprising more than 70 medical and para-medical staff has been assigned to attend to the twins during the period of treatment in the Kingdom.

“Arrangements have been made to show the surgery live via the Internet at www.conjoinedtwins.med.sa and the Saudi television will also telecast the operation in its regular channel in recorded programs,” Shalaan said.

Journalists will be invited to cover the surgery from the hospital’s media center.

Last week, television crews from Finland and Norway visited the hospital to take pictures of the babies and their mother.

Two journalists from Super Express, a Polish daily, have already arrived to cover the surgical separation.

The newsmen, Pomasz Jarosz and Piogzy Bowskyi visited the twins with the country’s Ambassador Adam Kulach.

The mother of the twins, Wieslawa Dabrowska, looked confident before the Polish journalists.

“My dream is going to be a reality soon,” said the mother who was all smiles.

Kulach told Arab News that everyone is waiting anxiously for the day of the surgery. “This is going to be a remarkable achievement which would go down in the annals of Poland,” the ambassador added.

Following a request made by Dabrowska, a 38-year-old seamstress from the central Polish town of Janikowo, to Crown Prince Abdullah, the babies were brought here last week to be separated at the hospital.

According to initial reports received by the hospital authorities, the twin has a shared backbone, colon, pelvis, anus opening and genital system and possibility of a shared urinary system.

Since 1990, a total of nine surgeries for separation of conjoined twins have been performed in the Kingdom.

Three twins were from the Kingdom, two from Sudan and one each from Malaysia, Egypt and Philippines.