Conjoined Twins Born in Yemen Require Overseas Treatment to Survive, Reports Reuters

Sanaa – Conjoined twin boys born in Yemen are in urgent need of medical treatment abroad, but their departure is hindered by the ongoing war that has resulted in the closure of the capital city’s airport.

Doctors at al-Thawra hospital, where the two-week-old twins, Abd al-Khaleq and Abd al-Rahim, were born, stated that Yemen’s severely damaged healthcare system is incapable of providing the care the children require, and their family is impoverished.

“They need to travel immediately. They will not survive in Yemen under the current social, political, and economic conditions,” said Doctor Faisal al-Balbali.

The twins are dependent on an incubator for breathing assistance and have distinct heads. Their shared torso contains separate spines, lungs, hearts, and digestive systems, but they share a liver, reproductive organs, and pairs of kidneys, arms, and legs.

“Even if one is unwell, the other is fine… They are different in every aspect,” al-Balbali explained.

Medical professionals are appealing to international humanitarian organizations and the United Nations for help in arranging the boys’ transfer to a facility where they can receive the necessary treatment.

Though their parents were not present during discussions with the media, medical staff shared that they had consented to bring attention to the twins’ situation. Al-Balbali emphasized that doctors are unable to conduct basic diagnostic tests, like MRI scans, within Yemen and do not possess the resources to carry out a separation procedure if required.

“This is a rare case,” stated Doctor Abd al-Hakim Abu Taleb, the hospital’s general manager, who is documenting the twins’ situation for medical professionals worldwide to study. He noted a rise in birth defects in Yemeni hospitals in recent years, which he attributes to the war-induced conditions leading to poor nutrition and a lack of essential medications.

Yemen’s nearly four-year conflict involves the Iran-aligned Houthi movement battling against a Saudi-backed coalition seeking to restore the internationally recognized government, which was ousted from Sanaa in 2014. The fighting has resulted in thousands of deaths, economic collapse, and widespread famine.

Sanaa remains under Houthi control, and the twins were born in what doctors described as a “complicated” delivery.

The airport in Sanaa has been closed to civilian flights since 2015 due to restrictions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition, which controls the airspace over Yemen. Currently, only U.N. aircraft are permitted to land, and the reopening of the airport is a key goal of ongoing U.N.-led peace negotiations.