POLOKWANE – The Department of Health says two three-month-old boys, recently separated as conjoined twins, are recovering well in intensive care.

In a major milestone for the province’s healthcare system, the twins who were born at Mankweng Hospital, were successfully separated during a complex seven-hour operation last Tuesday led by paediatric surgeon Prof Nnyaweleni Tshifularo.

Also read: Limpopo conjoined twins successfully separated 

Departmental spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said the infants are under close supervision by nurses and paediatric specialists at the same hospital.

They remain intubated and on ventilators as part of their post-operative care. The twins were born on January 28, with initial assessments showing they were joined at the abdomen.

Tshifularo explained that the procedure was highly complex as the twins were joined at the trunk and shared some organs.

“This is indeed a great day for the province, the country and for my team, including the specialist nurses I work with,” he said.

“As we have said before, these were identical twins whose separation was incomplete during development. They were delivered here, and after assessing our capabilities, we decided to proceed with the surgery locally.”

He added that the surgical team started preparations early in the morning, including a session of pastoral care for support.

“We started at 07:45 and by 15:10 we were done. The babies were joined at the trunk and shared some organs, which made the surgery highly complex. However, we delivered, and we are very excited,” he said.

The twins were born to a 29-year-old mother who had been referred from Maphutha Malatjie Hospital in Namakgale after medical staff detected the condition during labour and arranged an urgent transfer.

The Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba described the operation as a historic achievement for the province’s healthcare system.

“When the mother presented with no prior history, doctors and midwives were able to detect the condition through ultrasound and immediately transferred her. Mankweng Hospital acted quickly and delivered the babies within an hour,” she said.

Ramathuba added that the successful operation demonstrates the growing capability of public healthcare facilities in the province.