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JEDDAH: For more than 30 years, the skilled work of surgeons at Saudi Arabia’s Conjoined Twins Program has allowed children to enjoy healthy, normal and independent lives, making the Kingdom a world leader in one of the most complex surgical procedures in modern medicine.
Among them is pediatric surgeon Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who has variously served as the Kingdom’s health minister, as an adviser to the Royal Court, and as supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, KSrelief.
On Thursday, Al-Rabeeah successfully separated Syrian twins Bassam and Ihsan in a surgery that lasted seven and a half hours and took place over five phases with the participation of 26 specialized Saudi doctors, according to SPA.
Over the course of his career as a surgeon, Al-Rabeeah has conducted 58 operations on conjoined twins born to poor families from 23 countries. Overall, the program has supervised some 130 cases, clocking up hundreds of operating hours.
Bassam and Ihsan, who were flown in from Turkiye in May, are just shy of their third birthday. Joined at the lower chest, abdomen, liver and intestines, they together weighed 19kg. Although Bassam’s condition is stable, Ihsan is sadly not expected to live longer than a few days.
“(Ihsan is) considered an intruder on his brother Bassam because there is no urinary and reproductive system at the kidneys, ureters, bladder and male genitals,” Al-Rabeeah said following the surgery, according to SPA.
“(He) also suffers from significant birth defects in the heart that impede his life with atrophy in neurological development, and he has deficiencies and congenital defects in the intestine.”
To save Bassam’s life, the medical team decided to go ahead with the highly complex operation to separate the twins. “This operation is a rescue operation for Bassam, who is in fair and stable health condition,” the medical team told SPA.
Surgeries carried out by the Conjoined Twins Program are fully sponsored by the Saudi government. They offer children a chance to enjoy a long and healthy life, free of round-the-clock care, and relieved of the mental and physical strain of their condition.
Conjoined twins, often referred to as Siamese twins, are a rare reproductive phenomenon, occurring only once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births. Other estimates suggest that they occur just once in every 200,000 live births.
130 Cases supervised by medical staff.
58 Separation surgeries carried out.
28 Countries from where patients have traveled.
According to medical studies, about 60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn, while some 40 percent of those who survive birth then die within a few days. About 70 percent of conjoined twins are females.
The frequency of cases tends to vary depending on various factors such as geographical location — with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa — genetic predisposition and environmental influences.
In May last year, doctors performed a complicated 15-hour surgery on twin Yemeni boys, Yousef and Yassin. Underlining the difficulties involved, one of the twins also died on the second day of the surgery as a result of heart failure.
The surviving twin pulled through and remains in a stable condition under observation at the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The hospital plays a crucial role in the Kingdom’s Conjoined Twins Program. Equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and advanced technology, the hospital is staffed by a highly skilled medical team specializing in complex pediatric care.
“With the grace of Allah, then the presence of a specialized team and a specialized center, the Kingdom, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his trustworthy crown prince, have invested in two things — in infrastructure (and), what’s more important than that, is investing in people,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News on Thursday.
“My colleagues have the experience and ability. Therefore, the presence of experience and infrastructure contribute to building the success of these operations.”
Given the risks involved, doctors are not always convinced separation is the best course. From 1990-2011, 34 of the 64 cases that were presented to the Saudi team were deemed inoperable due to life-threatening deformities in the infants.
Conjoined twins are in different classifications depending on the extent and location of their physical connection.
The condition arises from a rare event during early embryonic development, when a single fertilized egg fails to separate completely into two individuals. As a result, the twins may share certain organs, limbs or other body structures.
Due to the complexity of conjoined twin pregnancies and the potential health challenges they pose, medical professionals often closely monitor such pregnancies and may recommend specialized prenatal care and planning for delivery.
The ultimate decision on whether to attempt separation surgery depends on several factors, including the twins’ overall health, the feasibility of separation and the potential risks involved.
“The existence of conjoined organs that are important and sensitive makes a twin separation operation difficult, as well as the existence of congenital defects in some organs, such as the heart, urinary system, or the reproductive system and, at times, in the brain, makes the operation complex,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News.
“Therefore, the difficulty lies in how the twins are conjoined, and to what degree exactly, and congenital defect generally makes the operation complex, performed in specific medical centers in the world.”
The most common type of conjoined twins, thoracopagus, account for about 40 percent of cases, whereby twins are joined at the chest or upper abdomen, and in some cases may share a heart, liver, or other thoracic organs.
Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Al-Rabeeah is head of the surgical and multidisciplinary team for the Saudi conjoined twins program.
Education
Employment
Omphalopagus twins, meanwhile, are connected at the lower abdomen and may share parts of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, or other abdominal organs.
The rarest type of conjoined twin, craniopagus parasiticus, is when one twin is not fully formed and is dependent on the other for survival. The underdeveloped twin may be attached to the head or body of the more fully formed sibling.
The specific challenges associated with each type of conjoined twin can vary widely. The feasibility of separation surgery and the potential health risks depend on the extent of the connection and the vital organs involved.
Each case requires individualized medical evaluation and decision-making by a multidisciplinary team of experts. Highly detailed surgical planning is required for a conjoined twin separation surgery to go ahead.
“For me, every twin matters,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News in an interview in March this year. “And I can tell you myself, and all of my colleagues, the team, they believe that those children are part of their family.”
RIYADH: Saudi authorities have arrested several people during recent drug raids throughout the country.
Land patrols of the Border Guard in the Jazan region thwarted two attempts to smuggle 175 kilograms of qat, and in a separate incident, security officers in the province detained two Ethiopians for trying to sneak the same drug.
In the Hail region, police officers arrested a man for trying to sell methamphetamine, hashish, and other narcotics and being in possession of firearms, live ammunition, and a sum of money.
Meanwhile, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control in Riyadh apprehended two Yemeni nationals and two citizens over their alleged involvement in a bid to smuggle 110 kg of qat found hidden inside a truck.
All the seized drugs have since been handed over to the relevant authorities and those arrested referred to the Public Prosecution.
Anyone wishing to report suspected smuggling or other violations can do so in strict confidence via email at [email protected], or by calling 1910 from within the country, or +966114208417 from overseas. Financial rewards are being offered for information leading to the discovery of a crime.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission is gearing up to introduce the Actor Training and Improvisation Program in three cities.
The program’s sessions are scheduled to take place in Al-Ahsa from July 16 to 27, in Tabuk from Aug. 13 to 24, and in Hail from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5.
Experienced and specialized trainers will be involved in this initiative, as part of the commission’s strategic Skills Development Program.
It will be comprised of two training workshops spanning over a 10-day period, with each workshop allocated three hours per day.
The first workshop concentrates on acting, while the second workshop emphasizes improvisation. The goal is to train 40 students in each workshop, resulting in a total of 80 trainees per city and 240 trainees overall.
The training program is designed to achieve various objectives, including enhancing awareness of theatrical performance and providing trainees with a diverse set of skills. These skills encompass gaining a comprehensive grasp of theater-related language, vocabulary, acting techniques, improvisation, and a broader cultural understanding of these disciplines.
The curriculum covers theater work mechanisms, including preparation, planning, invoking intention, and significant roles. Additionally, it focuses on the cognitive application of acting and improvisation fundamentals, such as text analysis, actor training, and the harmonization of different elements.
The acting program begins with the exploration of the body, voice, and subtext on the first day, and progresses to include areas such as concentration and pressure, character development, group work dynamics, feedback techniques, costume rehearsals, and the practical application of theories. The curriculum concludes with a final performance.
The improvisation curriculum begins with the skills of failure and the joy of taking risks, followed by accepting ideas and building upon them, spontaneity, speed, cooperation, environmental elements, tangible objects, body movement, scene formation, and the basics of storytelling. It also covers the components of creating a character naturally, escalating and changing emotions during a scene. The curriculum concludes on the 10th day with acting and showmanship (improvisation) skills.
Through the program, the commission aims to stimulate continuous self-learning among trainees and promote the concept of collective theatrical performance. It also seeks to raise awareness about theater, solidify the value of new art while preserving cultural heritage, establish a database of performers, and contribute to their development.
These efforts align with the commission’s ongoing initiatives to empower theater practitioners in the Kingdom.
RIYADH: As part of the Green Riyadh program, 1,350 kilometers of water pipes are being laid to carry 1.7 million cubic meters of treated water daily to irrigate 7.5 million trees in the city.
The aim is to achieve sustainable green spaces for Green Riyadh and other development projects in the capital.
Construction has begun using the latest technologies and practices to speed up work without disrupting traffic.
A technical team of experts from government entities and the private sector has been set up to coordinate the work and liaise with relevant bodies.
Director of the Green Riyadh program, Abdulaziz Al-Moqbel, said: “Part of the sustainability of the planted trees lies in the use of recycled water, which is recycled here in the city.
“Today we are in the hot spot of one of the networks under construction. We are using big pipes with a diameter of almost 2.4 meters, and this main network will distribute water to every neighborhood in Riyadh.”
The water networks will serve projects including the Public Investment Fund, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, King Salman Park, Sports Boulevard, and the King Abdulaziz Public Transport scheme.
“The project started almost two years ago, and now we are in the construction phase, with construction taking place everywhere in the city right now.
“Here in Riyadh there is recycled water but very limited, the users are limited in their use of recycled water, but through this network, recycled water will be much in use in several neighborhoods, and in several of the city’s megaprojects,” Al-Moqbel added.
The Green Riyadh program is one of the city’s four megaprojects launched by King Salman as an initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Its goal is to plant more than 7.5 million trees in Riyadh city, increasing the green coverage to 9.1 percent.
It also aims to improve the urban environment through the greening of residential neighborhoods, helping to achieve the targets of Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative of planting 10 billion trees nationwide.
MAKKAH: The enrichment exhibition, located in the lobby of the library of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, provides a unique cultural experience for pilgrims, visitors and anyone interested in exploring.
Since its opening, the exhibition has attracted thousands of visitors who are eager to explore the diverse exhibits showcasing the historical heritage of the Two Holy Mosques. It has become a popular destination for those seeking to learn more about these holy sites.
The exhibition showcases a wide array of treasures from the Two Holy Mosques, including the Kiswa, rare manuscripts, and documentaries about the Zamzam water. These exhibits offer insights into Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural heritage and dedication to serving the Two Holy Mosques.
The General Administration of Digital Exhibitions at the General Presidency for the Affairs of Two Holy Mosques has introduced virtual reality technology, enhancing the visitor experience in exploring virtual exhibitions of the Two Holy Mosques. This innovative addition enriches knowledge and understanding of the landmarks, treasures, and history associated with these holy sites.
Rayan Al-Masoudi, director of the General Administration of Digital Exhibitions, describes the experience as a revolutionary way of presenting religious and historical information.
By integrating modern technologies and scientific advancements, the exhibition provides visitors with a unique and enriching opportunity, further enhancing the services offered by the Grand Mosque.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with a number of Saudi students on scholarships for training and education in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
The meeting came at the conclusion of a tour by a Saudi delegation of the digital economy, space and innovation system, which included several cities in China, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
Abdullah Al-Swaha held talks with the scholarship students, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology Haitham Al-Ohali, and the Kingdom’s Ambassador to China Abdulrahman Al-Harbi.
He expressed pride in the country’s students studying on scholarships, explaining the importance of human capital in light of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the human capacity development program.
He said youth and women were among the main pillars for achieving the Kingdom’s ambition.
During the meeting, he briefed the students on updates on the digital economy, the research, development and innovation sector, the space sector, and the Kingdom’s ambitions in each sector, which requires preparing a generation capable of competing globally in the fields of science, engineering, mathematics and technology.