RIYADH, 24 November 2002 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday honored the medical team, which successfully separated the Malaysian Siamese twins at King Abdul Aziz Medical City here two months ago.
Prince Abdullah expressed happiness over the great medical achievement, and said the surgery, which took place on Sept. 18, enhanced the Kingdom’s reputation in the field of medical sciences.
The crown prince awarded Dr. Fahd Al-Abdul Jabbar, executive director of health affairs at the National Guard, the King Abdul Aziz Medal of the distinguished class in appreciation of his services.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeea, deputy executive director of health affairs and head of the medical and surgical team which conducted the operation, was awarded the King Abdul Aziz Medal of the first order. The prince also approved award of medals to all members of the Saudi medical team.
Grade two King Abdul Aziz medals were awarded to Dr. Saud Al-Jidan, head of the pediatric surgery unit, Dr. Wael Al-Ohali, consultant of pediatric surgery and organs transplantation, Dr. Manaf Al-Azawi, head of the plastic surgery unit, Major Abdullah Al-Thunayyan, consultant of plastic surgery, Dr. Saad Al-Muhraj and Dr. Ayman Al-Jawadi, consultants of pediatric osteology surgery; and Dr. Ahmad Al-Shamamri, consultant of pediatric urology surgery.
Prince Abdullah also distributed prizes to other members of the medical team and presented gifts to the twins and their parents.
Prince Abdullah, the regent, financed the operation on four-and-half-year-olds Mohammed and Ahmed, which was estimated to cost SR1.5 million. As many as 41 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff took part in the complex operation which took more than 15 hours.
The twins, accompanied by their father Roush ibn Abdullah Rahman, 31, and mother Aysha arrived in the Kingdom by the end of August. Rahman thanked Prince Abdullah for his humanitarian gesture. He also commended the expertise of the Saudi medical team.
A multidisciplinary medical team had met several times to review the diagnostic studies on separating the twins safely. The clinical and diagnostic tests showed that Ahmed and Mohammed were joined at the chest, abdomen and pelvis. Both of them had normal head and upper extremities. However, each of them has only one lower limb and they share a third abnormal limb.
The internal organs had showed a combined liver, and distal small intestine and colon.
