Rabeya Islam has woken up and called her mother while Rokeya Islam is still on ventilation after Bangladeshi and Hungarian surgeons in a joint effort separated the conjoined twins in a “highly risky but so far successful” series of operations.
Doctors at a press briefing on the eighth day of the procedure at the Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on Saturday said that they did not encounter any complications which were “not expected” and remain “optimistic” about the outcome. The 3-year-old Rabeya opened her eyes on Friday. “She called me and said, ‘Ammu I want to get on your lap’,” her mother Taslima Khatun told the media with tears in her eyes. Rabeya and Rokeya were born in July
2017 to Rafiqul Islam and Khatun, both teachers at a government school in the northern district of Pabna. Prof Samanta Lal Sen, chief coordinator of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit at the DMCH, who coordinated their treatment, said they took up the case in concert with the Hungarian team on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s instructions.
The Hungarian team of surgeons from the Action for Defenceless People Foundation (ADPF) were the only ones in the world to agree to undertake the task. The final separation came after at least 44 different types of surgeries were performed, including many in Budapest. There have been 17 such surgeries on twins with fused heads in the world. Only five twins have survived, Major General Md Fashiur Rahman, director general of the medical services of the army, said. The procedure employed the latest technology in using, for the first time in the world, expander implants to expand their skins and soft tissues, he said. This is a “milestone” for Bangladesh, said Prof Dr Md Habibe Millat, MP, said. “We will always remember this day. The procedure has only been performed a handful of times around the world. We are one of them. It’s a groundbreaking achievement for Bangladesh,” he said. “We never thought this type of surgery was possible. It was only so because of the prime minister’s encouragement and instructions.” The surgery was code named ‘Operation Freedom’ in a bid to give the twins a fresh lease of life. It all began nearly 20 months ago.
Dr Marcel, paediatric intensivist, said, “It’s a success, but we must be realistic and we must be optimistic. We must realise that problems might occur.” “We can manage the problems. There weren’t any negative consequences or complications which we hadn’t anticipated. Some of them occurred and some of them did not occur.” He continued, “We are hopeful that together with our Bangladeshi colleagues, we will do the job professionally. We have to be optimistic and realistic.” The physician also shared some of the challenges that were faced during the operation.
