Conjoined Jamaican Twins Arrive in Riyadh for Medical Evaluation and Potential Separation

RIYADH: Conjoined Jamaican twins, Azaria and Azura, arrived in Riyadh on Monday along with their parents to undergo a comprehensive medical evaluation ahead of a potential separation surgery.

Their arrival follows a directive from the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the country’s continued commitment to providing world-class humanitarian medical assistance, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The twins were admitted to King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, a premier medical facility known globally for its expertise in pediatric surgery and treatment of conjoined twins.

Leading the evaluation and potential surgical procedure is Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) and adviser to the Royal Court. Dr. Al-Rabeeah, who heads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, emphasized the team’s decades-long experience in successfully separating conjoined twins from around the world.

Just days earlier, Dr. Al-Rabeeah’s surgical team performed a successful eight-hour operation to separate Syrian twins Celine and Eline, who were joined at the chest and abdomen. The 17-month-old twins, born in a triplet birth in February 2024 at Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut, were medically evacuated to Riyadh in December last year to receive specialized care. Their triplet brother, Sanad, was born separately.

The arrival of Azaria and Azura marks the continuation of Saudi Arabia’s growing legacy in advanced pediatric surgeries and global medical outreach. A decision on their potential separation will be made after thorough evaluation by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

The Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, launched in 1990, has evaluated more than 130 cases from over 25 countries, with more than 60 successful separation surgeries to date.