Siamese twins in good condition

By Violet Nabatanzi

The female Siamese twins, who were born recently in Ngora district, have different hearts, but in one sac.

According to medical examinations carried out to establish the possibility of an operation, the new revelation threw a glimmer of hope of survival of the Siamese, but medics say there is no cause for celebration yet.

Adong has four chambers of the heart, while her twin sister Apio has only two chambers.

Mulago Hospital’s spokesperson Enock Kusasira said the babies do not also share the spine.

The babies are admitted at the hospital’s special care unit.

Their father, Misairi Okiror, said the babies are in good condition. They weigh 4.5kgs.

“We are feeding them on milk because we want them to attain the kilogrammes required for an operation. Adong is, however, healthier than Apio,” Okiror said.

The twins were born by 33-year-old Faith Noah Atim, who passed on after the caesarean operation. They were delivered from Ngora Hospital on May 4 then transferred to Mulago on May 9.

Adong and Apio are conjoined from the chest up to the abdomen and have three legs.

Meanwhile, Okiror faced the wrath of the relatives of his deceased wife as they demanded for bride price before they could bury her at their ancestral grounds.

They threatened to abandon Atim’s body with him. He had to part with sh2m after selling a chunk of his land.

Atim’s other relatives have reportedly turned to forcefully grabbing some of Okiror’s property to compensate for “their daughter”.

This is the second pair of Siamese twins to be born in Ngora district in just two years.

The first pair of female twins died last year. Born at seven months, the babies were joined at the chest and abdomen up to the umbilical cord.