President Museveni congratulates Mulago team of doctors upon successfully separating Siamese Twins

President Yoweri Museveni has Tuesday evening congratulated a team of 20 specialists at Mulago National Specialized hospital who have successfully separated 11 months old Siamese twins at a free charge in their test running initiative before fully opening for other tertiary operations like organ transplants.

According to Dr. John Sekabira a consultant pediatric surgeon who led the team, the Siamese twins’ rectum was fused at the end, they had no separate vagina, shared a urethra and the spinal code was joined at the tail end.

He told journalists on Tuesday afternoon that the operation started at Midday on Monday and ended at 9:00 am this morning. Doctors who conducted the surgery refer to it as one of the most complicated procedures which have to be done slowly and carefully since it also separating blood vessels.

The President said the surgery was no mean feat.

“I must congratulate our doctors on this no mean feat. This is why I advocate for better pay for our scientists. Congratulations and I wish the babies good health” The President said.

Dr Philis Khisa another member of the surgical team says the surgery process started last week with an investigation technically known as scoping where they had to identify which exact organs they shared.

They found that while the vaginal opening was one, inside they were separate and that they were conjoined at the pelvis, at the large bone called the sacrum.

Dr. Khisa says separation of the babies didn’t happen until 4 am, adding that this is a major milestone as the children had been kept under monitoring since December 21 when they were referred from Lira hospital three days after birth through a Caesarean Section operation. 

In September, they start the early processes with plastic surgeons putting on them tissue expanders which would today morning be used to cover the defect. The doctors worked in teams of vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons and pediatric surgeons among others. 

The babies will remain admitted in the hospital for six months to one year as they await another surgery to correct other issues like the reproductive system such that each can live healthy on their own.