A miracle was performed in Ghana?s Medical circles, when a team of Doctors at Korle Bu successfully separated Siamese twins born at the hospital. This is the first-ever Siamese separation in Ghana?s medical history. Linda and Lydia Awui made their first public appearance at a press conference to tell the medical story in Accra.
The team of doctor?s anesthetists and nurses who separated the babies in a four and half hour operation on May 19th presented the now three-month old tiny tots to the media. Mr. Benjamin Awui and Mrs. Eunice Awui and 27 year-old seamstresses, cuddled their 4.7 kilo-babes with pride, as the thought of having Siamese children now looks distant.
The leader of the team Dr. Winfred Hodasi, a consultant surgeon announced that the babies would be discharged by the end of this week. He noted that the ?20, million ($8000) cost of operation was done at absolutely no cost to the parents.
Dr. Hodasi described the surgery as a major break through being the first successful operation, out of the few that have been attempted as the hospital. He said the twins who were delivered pre-term through caesarian operation, were referred to the hospital one week after birth.
The twins were joined from the lower portion of their chest to the umbilicus, and shared a common liver, diaphragm but had separate stomachs kidneys and intestines. They were kept in incubators when they were three weeks old and were taken through a series of examinations. They were operated upon in the eighth week and their liver, diaphragm successfully divided.
Dr. Hodasi said, though all the organs are normal and babies are doing fine, the hospital will continue to monitor their development.
