RIYADH: The conjoined Moroccan twins who were separated in Riyadh on Saturday are medically stable and satisfactorily responding to treatment at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC).
"Safa and Marwa continue to do well... The condition of the twins has stabilized and there are no major problems facing them as of now," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, head of the 24-member multidisciplinary team that performed the 10-hour separation surgery.
Al-Rabeeah, who is also KAMC's chief executive officer, added that the next few days are "very crucial for us ... we have to make sure eventually that the twins are completely stable and all their organs, including hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys and the bowels, function normally."
Safa and Marwa, who shared a liver and the digestive system, will continue to require intensive medical support for several days to attain full normalcy, said a doctor attending them.
The babies will be given milk or fluid intravenously for a few days before being administered medicines or food orally.
Moroccan Ambassador Abdul Kareem Al-Sammar thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who gave directives to conduct the separation surgery at the KAMC at his personal expense, for his humane gesture and for supporting the twins and their family.
"This is yet another example of growing relations between the Kingdom and Morocco," Al-Sammar said.
The separation of the Moroccan twins was the 14th procedure in a series of successful surgeries carried out by the KAMC team.
A pair of Siamese twins from Iraq are to be separated in Ramadan.
By Ghazanfar Ali Khan
© Arab News 2008
