Filipino conjoined twins undergoing separation surgery in Saudi Arabia

Specialist doctors in Saudi Arabia started separation surgery Thursday on Olivia Faith and Giana Faith Manuel, the fourth set of Filipino conjoined twins to undergo the procedure in the country.

According to the Saudi Program for Conjoined Twins, the procedure is being conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital in Riyadh and is expected to take around eight hours to complete.

Saudi authorities said the operation is being carried out in six surgical phases and involves a multidisciplinary team of 22 medical specialists.

Their surgery of the Manuel twins follows the successful operation of Filipino twins Klea Ann and Maurice Ann Misa last April.

It is being performed as part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's humanitarian and medical assistance program for complex cases from around the world.

Saudi officials said the procedure marks the 72nd conjoined twin separation surgery conducted under the program since its establishment in 1990.

The initiative has provided medical assistance to conjoined twins from 28 countries and is considered one of the world's largest specialized programs for conjoined twin separation procedures.

The twins' surgery is being undertaken at King Abdulaziz Medical City under the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs.

Saudi authorities said the procedure follows a treatment plan designed to meet international medical standards and ensure patient safety throughout the operation.

No immediate details were released regarding the twins' condition or the expected recovery process following the surgery.

Further updates are expected from the medical team after the completion of the procedure. — VDV, GMA News