UTH separate con-joined twins
MEDICAL experts at University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka yesterday successfully separated sevenmonth-old twins who were joined at the abdomen and shared a liver.
The operation started around 11:27 hours and lasted until 16:58 hours.
The successful operationt attracted jubilation and ululation from medical staff who were following the theatre proceedings on a television screen monitor mounted in the doctors’ common room in D-Block.
Earlier, anxiety engulfed the area around the operation theatre at the Women and New Born Hospital as the twin girls, Bupe and Mapalo underwent the historic surgery to enable them live separate lives.
UTH, Mother and New Born senior medical superintendent Dr Maureen Chisembele excitedly announced to the media positioned at the hospital that although the operation was successful, there was still a lot of work to be done to ensure the children were absolutely safe.
“So far the progress has been great. The twins have been separated. However there is still a lot to be done in terms of closing up the wounds,
“So we anticipate that the surgery will continue for another hour or so, after which they would be transferred to the main ICU for recovery,” said Dr Chisembele.
The superintended hailed her staff for putting the Women and New Born Hospital among the specialised health institutions in Zambia by successfully separating the conjoined babies within the facility.
She said this event only justifies the vison of a specialised health facility intended in the move to separate the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) into the five faculties which included Cancer, Adult medical and surgical, Eye, Peadiatrics and Women and New Born hospitals respectively.
And lead surgeon Bruce Bvulani explained that the operation couldn’t have been as successful it was not for the commitment and expertise of all the medical personnel brought together for the procedure.
Dr Bvulani expounded that they had no problems with the operation except for the obvious that they were dealing with two separate people under one operation.
And chief aesthetic Christopher Chanda said it was not a normal position on an operation but that the team worked very well and coordinated in their duties.
Meanwhile, the entire Paediatric ICU ward exploded into jubilation after the surgery as both nursing staff and mothers shed tears of joy as theys danced and sung praises to God for the successful operation.
And the parents to the twins praised God and thanked everybody who has helped their seven-month stay in Lusaka away from home duringa very difficutl time in waiting fro the operations.
“Twatotela Lesa na bantu bonse abatwafwa iyi nshita twaikala kuno mpaka nokufika ku operation (We thank God adn all those involved in taking care of us during the long wait until the seperation,” they said.