Yemeni conjoined twins arrive in Riyadh amid separation surgery hopes

The twins were transferred upon their arrival to King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) to study their condition and consider the possibility of conducting an operation to separate them. (Supplied)
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  • The Kingdom has provided thousands of cases of medical care to Yemenis during their struggle against the Houthi militia 

RIYADH: Yemeni conjoined twins Mawaddah and Rahma have arrived in Saudi Arabia amid hopes that a successful separation surgery could be carried out.

The pair landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh from Aden accompanied by their parents on Sunday.

The Yemeni family were taken to Riyadh by a Saudi medical evacuation plane with the support of the coalition forces to support legitimacy in Yemen.

The twins were transferred upon their arrival to King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) to study their condition and consider the possibility of conducting an operation to separate them.

If separation is possible, the conjoined twins, who were born joined at the lower chest and abdomen, will be treated.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah, the head of the medical team and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), extended his thanks and gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for “this noble humanitarian initiative, which comes in appreciation of the difficult conditions facing brotherly Yemen.”

Al-Rabiah stressed that the initiative embodies Saudi Arabia’s superior medical capabilities and great humanitarian sense towards those struggling in dozens of countries, expressing his thanks to the Saudi Embassy in Yemen, and to “the coalition forces to support legitimacy in Yemen that contributed tangible efforts” in transporting the Yemeni twins.

Hudhayfah Numan, the father of the twins, thanked the Kingdom for the warm reception and hospitality that has been extended to him since his arrival in the Kingdom, expressing his great confidence in God and then in the “Saudi medical team due to their long experience in this field.” He prayed to God Almighty to protect King Salman and reward him well.

King Salman ordered the transfer of Mawaddah and Rahma to King Abdulaziz Medical City to Riyadh for medical examinations on May 10.

Dr. Aref Abu Hatem, an information counselor at the Yemeni Embassy in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News that this great humanitarian initiative comes within a broader Saudi humanitarian context, sponsored by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said that humanitarian aid was at the forefront of the Saudi leadership’s plans and activities.

Abu Hatem added that this case of conjoined twins is almost the fourth to arrive from Yemen over the past three years, all of which were followed by complicated separations carried out by a highly qualified specialized medical team led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabiah.

“The King Salman Center has provided thousands of grants in the medical field, and they were treated in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or in hospitals outside the Kingdom contracted by the King Salman Center for serving and caring for Yemenis in light of this war, especially those affiliated with the national army and the popular resistance,” Abu Hatem said.