Moro mother delivers conjoined twins, seeks help to separate them

DATU HOFER, Maguindanao – A poor Muslim couple here on Wednesday was
appealing for help to separate conjoined twins delivered through ceasarian
operation at the Maguindanao provincial hospital.

The girls now in the neo-natal intensive care unit are healthy but we
are closely monitoring them,” Dr. Tahir Sulaik, Maguindanao health chief, said
of the all female-twins of Mimi Sabpa of Barangay Limpongo, Datu Hofer,
Maguindanao.

The couple is poor, they are Moro folks with no permanent sources of
income,” Sulaik said.The mother went under knife last week after hospital workers found her
to have conjoined twins during a medical dental program simultaneous with the
inauguration of the renovated Maguindanao provincial hospital here.

Sulaik said due to poverty, Sabpa was not used to seeing doctors for
pre-natal examination for her first three children.

She relied much on the village midwife who took care of her first three
deliveries at home,” he said, adding that her husband, Ali, was a labourer whose
income is seasonal.

Sabpa said she named her daughter Sittiehawa.” If successfully separated, they will be named Sittie”
and Hawa.”

Sulaik said the ultrasound examination showed Sabpa has conjoined twins
so a Ceasarian operation was immediately conducted free of charge.

Dr. Jona Ann Sumahit, OB Gyne specialist of the provincial hospital, performed
the Ceasarian operation with two others.

Sulaik said it was fortunate the twins were discovered this early because
I cannot imagine the dangers and risks when she delivers the babies with only a
midwife assisting her.”

We now have the facilities to perform Ceasarian operations but the
hospital has no capability to separate the conjoined twins,” he said.

He said only hospitals with modern facilities can perform the operation
to separate the two and an expensive one.

Sulaik believed the babies have to be separated as soon as possible. He
estimated the cost of operation in the Philippines is more or less US$ 100,000
or roughly P4.7 million.

He said based on x-ray examination, it was a case of Ischio
Omphalopagus” where the babies are fused in the lower half of their two bodies,
with spines conjoined end-to-end.

These twins have four arms. One has complete lower extremities but the
other has only one leg and shorter (vestigial limb),” Sulaik said. He personally
monitors the health condition of Sittie” and Hawa.”

As far as I know, there are only two hospitals in the country that are
capable of separating conjoined twins – the Philippine General Hospital and the
Philippine Children Medical Center Hospital in Quezon City,” Sulaik said.

If there are organizations and able individuals who can help, then the
specialists will decide when to perform the operation,” he said.

Sulaik hoped well meaning individuals or groups or organizations would
come to Sabpa’s rescue to separate her twins.