50 Nigerian experts separate conjoined twins

Minister of State for Health, Adeleke Mamora, has lauded the 50 medical experts, who successfully separated two conjoined twins at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

The minister disclosed that after a nine-hour long surgery, the twins were successfully separated with no intra-operative complications.

Mamora assured that the Keffi Medical Centre would be one of the centres the Federal Government would focus on for specialised surgery.

”This is the kind of collaboration we advocate between the states and the Federal Government,” he said while commending Nasarawa Governor, Abdullahi Sule, for his support.

Mamora recalled that the conjoined twins were delivered at a medical facility in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, 15 months ago.

He explained that after extensive clinical and detailed investigations, the twins were adjudged to be joined at the abdomen and rib cage.

”They shared common liver, subcutaneous tissue and skin with fixed xiphisternum and cartilages of the 10th and 11th ribs. The extensive preparation for the separation involved a multi-disciplinary team of over 50 medical experts”, the minister said.

They included paediatric surgeons, plastic surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists, paediatricians/neonatologist, laboratory physicians, scientists, radiologists, nurses, pharmacists, social welfare officers, physiotherapists, orthopedics and surgeons,” he said.

Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Yahaya Adamu, who was part of the team, showered praised on the doctors.

The twins are the second set of babies to have passed through FMC Keffi.

The first case was in November, 2019.

But the case was referred to the National Hospital, Abuja, where they were successfully separated.