The Minister of State for Health, Dr Adeleke Mamora, has lauded the 50 medical experts, who successfully separated two conjoined twins at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi in Nasarawa State.
Mamora gave the commendation while unveiling the conjoined twins on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this is the second conjoined twins to have passed through the Keffi Medical Centre.
The first case was in November, 2019 but the case was later referred to the National Hospital, Abuja where they were successfully separated.
Mamora assured that the Keffi Medical Centre would be one of the centres the Federal Government would focus on for specialised surgery.
”This is the kind of collaboration we advocate between the states and the Federal Government.”
The minister advised the hospital’s workers not to rest on their oars, noting that the best was yet to come.
He also commended Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State for the support given to the hospital.
Mamora said that the conjoined twins were delivered at a medical facility in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, 15 months ago.
He explained that after extensive clinical and detailed investigations, the twins were adjudged to be joined at the abdomen and rib cage.
”They shared common liver, subcutaneous tissue and skin with fixed xiphisternum and cartilages of the 10th and 11th ribs.
“The extensive preparation for the separation involves a multi-disciplinary team of over 50 medical experts cutting across the following specialties.
”Paediatric surgeons, plastic surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists, paediatricians/neonatologist, laboratory physicians, scientists, radiologists, nurses, pharmacists, social welfare officers, physiotherapists, orthopedics and surgeons,” he said.
The minister said that on July 10, after a nine-hour long surgery, the twins were successfully separated with no intra-operative complications.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Yahaya Adamu, applauded the team of doctors, who performed the surgery, adding that he was also part of the team.
Adamu said that in spite of the nature of the surgery, it ended without any complication and that there was no reason to be scared.
The leader of the medical team, Dr Saul Charles, said that the surgery was estimated to cost aboutN35 million and that the State Government gave N10 million.
Charles noted that the hospital would need some intensive care facilities, including laboratory, theatre and other facilities to perform better.