Mother of Tanzanian conjoined twins praises care after arrival in Saudi Arabia

The mother of Tanzanian conjoined twins Loveness and Lightness has expressed her deep gratitude after her daughters arrived in Saudi Arabia and received immediate medical care, following health complications they have faced since birth, according to comments made to Al Ekhbariya TV.

Regarding the care provided to the twins, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and head of the medical and surgical team for the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, revealed details of the planned separation surgery. He explained that the procedure will be conducted in nine stages, lasting around 15 hours, and will involve 44 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff, with an estimated success rate of about 70 percent.

Al-Rabeeah stated that the twins arrived in the Kingdom on January 27, 2026, and were admitted to King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, where they underwent thorough and multiple examinations, followed by specialized medical meetings to assess their condition and determine the appropriate separation plan.

The twins are joined at the pelvis and hips, have four lower limbs, and share the lower part of the intestines, the spine, lumbar vertebrae, and spinal cord. Preparations for the surgery included several months of skin expansion to ready them for separation.

Al-Rabeeah noted that this upcoming operation will be the fourth separation of conjoined twins from Tanzania and the 75th procedure under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has provided care to 160 sets of twins from 29 countries across five continents since 1990.