Zimbabwe's first major siamese twins operation successful

The country's first major operation on siamese twins, who were joined at the stomach and shared the same liver, has been successfully conducted at Harare Central Hospital.

On the 22nd of April, Agnes Mang'oro from Mrehwa gave birth to twin boys who were joined at the stomach and shared the same liver.

For two months, she waited while doctors carried out tests and prepared to separate the siamese twins.

Finally on the 1st of this month, a team of 50 medical personnel made up of local paediatric surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses at Harare Central Hospital took close to eight hours to separate the twin boys.

Mrs Mang'oro, who has named her twin boys Kupakwashe and Tapiwanashe, could hardly hold back her tears as she thanked the medical staff and companies that chipped in with drugs to make the operation a success.

Dr Bothwell Mbuvayesango, who led the 50 member team, said the twins are doing well and are breathing without the aid of machines, while the matron at the Children's Hospital thanked the medical practitioners for their dedication.   

The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza visited Harare Central Hospital this Tuesday to see the recuperating twins and praised local medical experts for their professionalism.

Since independence, the country has recorded five cases of siamese twins.

One set was referred outside the country where they were successfully separated while the other two sets of twins died before any medical intervention.   

Scientists have proffered two contradicting theories to explain how twins are conjoined in the uterus.

The first theory says a fertilised egg splits partially while the second theory suggests that a fertilised egg completely separates, but stem cells find similar cells on the other twin and fuse the twins together.