A 27-member surgical team led by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah successfully separated Iraqi conjoined twins Ali and Omer in a complex surgery that lasted for more than 11 hours at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH) in Riyadh on Thursday. Dr. Al Rabeeah, who is an Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), the surgery, which is the 54th under the Saudi program for the separation of conjoined twins, came in implementation of the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The surgery was carried out in six surgical phases by a team of 27 doctors and specialists, in addition to technicians and nursing staff. Al-Rabeeah said the twins, Omar and Ali, were joined in the lower chest and abdomen. In addition, they had shared liver, bile ducts and intestines. He extended thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for their continuous support and follow-up of the Saudi Medical Program to separate conjoined twins. Stressing the Kingdom's pioneering role in humanitarian work in general and in the medical field in particular, Al-Rabeeah said the Saudi program operated on 127 conjoined twins from 23 countries over the past 32 years. Dr. Al-Rabeeah thanked the medical team that successfully performed the surgery for their efforts, and said this achievement reflected the wise Saudi leadership's keenness to help people wherever they were. He added that it also reflected Saudi Arabia's excellence in the medical sector, which is in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to develop the country's health sector and enhance its quality and efficiency. Dr. Al-Rabeeah extended, on behalf of his fellow members of the medical team, appreciation and gratitude to King Salman and the Crown Prince for the generous support received by the Saudi program for the separation of conjoined twins. Iraqi Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Abdul-Sattar Hadi Al-Janabi appreciated the unlimited humanitarian support and efforts by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince. He also praised the efforts of the medical team led by Dr. Al-Rabeeah while expressing his happiness for the successful separation of the twins Omar and Ali. The twins' parents also extended their thanks and gratitude to Saudi leaders the distinguished care and treatment given to the twns. They praised the medical team's expertise and the Kingdom's great humanitarian work, as well as the warm reception and hospitality they have received throughout their stay in the Kingdom. — SPA
