Co-joined Twins Successfully Separated After 13-hour Operation In Abuja

A pair of co-joined twins named Goodness and Mercy Martins, joined face-to-face at the chest and abdomen
have been separated after a team of Nigerian medical experts spent 13 hours performing a grueling surgery on them in the National Hospital Abuja.

The two babies were delivered at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi, on August 13, 2018, from where they were referred to the National Hospital, Abuja the following day, August 14, 2018.

They required about N20m for complex surgeries that would see them separated at the heart and the liver which were fused together from the womb. Fortunately in their case, the management of the National Hospital Abuja decided to fund their care and the entire processes leading to the major surgical procedure for their separation as its corporate social responsibility.

The Surgery was successfully carried out by a combined team of 78 indigenous medical professionals, comprising surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, paediatricians, radiologists, haematologists, chemical pathologists, and pharmacists on November 12th, 2019.

Ameh said pre-surgery examination conducted revealed that the babies shared vital organs including, liver, chest wall, diaphragm and pericardium. He said experts, however, successfully shared the liver for the two babies using modern medical equipment.