Filipino conjoined twins undergo surgical separation in Riyadh thanks to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

One-year-old conjoined twins Akhizah and Ayeesha successfully underwent surgical separation thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to Martin Javier's report on "24 Oras," Thursday, the country took care of the twins' operation, treatment period, as well as their family's accommodation costs.

Akhizah and Ayeesha were the second set of Filipino twins who underwent surgical separation in Saudi Arabia.

"The humanitarian work lifts one of the prominent achievements of the kingdom in the field of separating conjoined twins and providing outstanding medical care where the kingdom has become a pioneer in the field," Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Hisham S.A. Alqahtani said.

The twins, who came from Panabo, Davao Del Norte, underwent a five to seven-hour surgical procedure, where 23 consultant doctors, specialists, nursing and technical staff took part in the operation.

The five-stage procedure also included an organ restoration.

"Sobrang saya po kasi finally sa sobrang tagal ng pagsakripisyo namin dito, nahiwalay na sila. Since maliit pa po sila naghahanap na po kami ng sponsor, then may nakapagsabi po sa amin na doon kayo pumunta sa Mercy Islamic Foundation. Sinuggest niya kami dito sa Kingdom of Saudi Arabia para makapunta dito tsaka mabigyan ng libreng operasyon," the twins' mother, Hashima Yusoph, said.

The twins are still in Riyadh, recovering from the operation.

"Nakakapag-adjust na sa katawan nila. Nagpa-practice na rin po sila maglakad. Natupad 'yung matagal ko nang hinihiling para sa kanila na mamuhay nang normal," Hashima said.

Currently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a pioneer in the field of separating conjoined twins, has already performed more than 130 of the said operations for other nationalities.

"They've been doing it for 30 years already. They have the means, they have the funds, and they have the expertise to really proceed with mga komplikado na mga operasyon," said Dr. Russell Alegarbes, a pediatric surgeon at St. Lukes Medical Center Global.