Blog

Anna Greenblatt

The technological advancements of today are so impressive. One new technological advancement in the medical field has been receiving much attention recently for its use in saving the lives of conjoined twins.

Dr. Abdullah al-Rabeeah is the head surgeon of a Saudi Arabian program that “separates conjoined twins who come from poor families around the world.” The Saudi National Guard runs the program and every approved case is funded by the Saudi government. In addition, the government provides the patients and their families with first class plane tickets and housing. The program has sponsored 40 operations since 1990, which have helped families from 20 different countries who could not afford such a procedure.

The program was profiled in The New York Times and the article described the surgery being performed on identical twins from Pakistan, who were born joined at the stomach and who shared a liver. The twins and their family were flown to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last March. An operating room was built specifically for this procedure. The operating room was equipped with two sets of medical tools and it was staffed with 20 doctors and nurses. The operation was successful and for the first time ever, the twins were placed in separate beds.

This is a great program and we hope that they continue to do their special work.