RIYADH, 8 February 2006 — Surgeons planning to separate a newborn pair of conjoined twins from Iraq are going to have to wait while the youngsters put on enough weight to undergo surgery.
Meanwhile, their father anxiously waits for the procedure as their mother prays and worries about communicating with relatives in a remote Iraqi village.
An Iraqi pediatrician, Dr. Hussein Athawi, accompanied the family to Saudi Arabia. He said yesterday that the twins now weigh 3.4 kg. Specialists say the pair should weigh at least 8 kg before any surgery is attempted.
“The operation won’t occur for some time until the twins reach the required weight,” Dr. Athawi told Arab News.
He said he has already informed Iraq’s Ministry of Health about the anticipated delay and sought permission for an extended stay with the conjoined twins.
“The twins are healthy, feeding well, and their vital signs are normal,” Dr. Athawi said, noting there will be an intensive medical examination in the coming days. He said the Iraqi government has expressed concern for the twins’ welfare.
“I’ve received telephone calls from the Iraqi president’s office in Baghdad and from the Iraqi Ministry of Health inquiring about the health of the twins,” he said.
It is a particularly tough time for the twins’ mother, Majda. Her days have been spent in tearful prayer and worry, as she is unable to contact her parents who live in a remote village in Iraq.
“We could arrange a telephone call from here, but their home does not have a phone line,” Dr. Athawi said, adding that he hoped that some form of communication between the two parties can be arranged.
The twins are staying at King Abdul Aziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh under the direct care of Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, CEO of the National Guard Health Affairs and chief surgeon of KAMC. Dr. Al-Rabeeah said preliminary testing would begin in a couple of days.
The twins, Fatima and Zahra, were born Jan. 25 at the Fatima Zahra Hospital in Sadr City and later ferried by a Saudi air ambulance to Riyadh on the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who has agreed to cover the surgical costs.
The twins were accompanied Sunday by their father, Haider, their mother and their 18-month-old brother, Ali, along with Dr. Athawi.
“I am thankful to King Abdullah for his magnificence in making all these arrangements,” said Haider, the twins’ father. “Please pray for the success of my children’s surgery so that we can go home happily.”
