Saudi Doctors Successfully Separate Filipino Conjoined Twins Olivia and Gianna in Riyadh

Filipino conjoined twins Olivia and Gianna were successfully separated in a six-hour operation in Riyadh, with the procedure carried out at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard.

Advisor to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and head of the surgical team Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the separation was completed six hours after the operation began, after the twins were joined at the chest and abdomen and shared a liver and possibly part of the intestines.

Al Jazeera

Dr. Al-Rabeeah said one twin suffered from congenital heart defects that posed a significant health risk, and he described the operation as the fourth separation of conjoined twins from the Philippines and the 72nd procedure performed under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme.

The operation involved 22 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff members, and the programme’s 35-year history spans 28 countries across five continents with 158 cases evaluated from around the world.

Gulf News described the twins as two-year-old sisters born joined at the chest and abdomen, and it said their mother, Ginalyn Manuel, saw the surgery as a step toward a normal childhood after the separation stage was completed at KASCH.

Al Jazeera reported that the operation involved 22 specialised medical staff and was carried out in six stages, framing the separation as a structured surgical process in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the separation of the Filipino twins Olivia and Gianna was successfully completed six hours after the operation began," tying the outcome directly to the start of the procedure.

Arab News

Asharq Al-Awsat said the procedure was performed with the participation of 22 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff members to ensure precision and safety throughout all stages of the operation.

Gulf News added that the twins will remain under medical supervision in Riyadh as they recover, and it said Gianna is expected to undergo an additional heart procedure before the family eventually returns to the Philippines.

Arab News quoted KSrelief as saying the specialized medical team affiliated with the SCTP "was able to achieve it by successfully separating the Filipino conjoined twins," and it described diagnostic evaluations and multidisciplinary meetings after admission to King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital.

Saudi Gazette said the operation marks the fourth separation of conjoined twins from the Philippines and the 72nd procedure performed under SCTP, which it described as having a 35-year history spanning 28 countries across five continents and evaluating 158 cases from around the world.

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Arab News FR

Arab News PK said the procedure is expected to take around eight hours to complete and is being carried out in six surgical phases by a multidisciplinary team of 22 medical specialists, while also noting that no immediate details were released about the twins’ condition or expected recovery process following the surgery.

Gulf News reported that the twins arrived in Riyadh earlier this year after being accepted into the Kingdom’s internationally recognised Conjoined Twins Programme, and it said the Manuel family thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the treatment.

Saudi Gazette said Dr. Al-Rabeeah expressed gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for their continued support and patronage of SCTP, describing that backing as enabling the team to provide the highest standards of specialized healthcare.

In the same coverage, Gulf News said the greatest victory for Olivia and Gianna was that after spending the first two years of their lives joined together, they were given the opportunity to take their first independent steps toward a normal childhood.