Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Hospital, Abuja, on Tuesday, handed over a set of twins, Goodness and Mercy, to their parents, Michael Edeh Martins and Mariah Martins. The twins were conjoined at birth. They were handed over to their parents following a successful surgery that lasted for over 12 hours.
The conjoined babies were delivered at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi, Nasarawa State, on August 13, 2018. They were quickly referred to the National Hospital the following day, as they were conjoined at the chest and abdomen.
Since then, they have been on admission at the National Hospital, fully catered for by the hospital. The parents’ social status was assessed by the hospital, and they were later classified as indigent patients.
Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Dr. Jaf Momoh, in his welcome remarks at the public presentation of the separated babies, said the management of the National Hospital decided to fund the care and the entire processes leading to, and including the major surgical procedure for the separation as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Minister of Women Affairs, Paullen Tallen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Mashi, and others attended the event. Management and staff of the National Hospital, especially the team of medical experts that conducted the surgery, were conspicuously present to celebrate the achievement.
Dr. Momoh, said that approximately, N20 million was spent by the hospital in cash and kind to see to the success of the surgery. “We are still compiling our expenditures but we know for sure that it won’t be below N20 million,” he stated.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said he was happy that the surgery was carefully planned and executed by the team of local medical professionals. This, he said, was an indication that Nigeria has all it takes – manpower and otherwise, to make significant impact in the world medical system.
He added: “We only require good leadership, friendly working environment and commitment from the medical professionals, irrespective of the field, to do what others thought was not possible. Ordinarily, this was what many thought could not be done in Nigeria but here we are. The surgery was successfully done by a team of Nigerian medical professionals.”
He appreciated the medical professionals for their dedication and commitment to saving lives. He also praised the administrative support provided by the Chief Medical Director and other management staff of the hospital.
The Lead Surgeon, Prof. Emmanuel Ameh, said the surgery was conducted on November 14, 2019, when the babies clocked 15 months. The operation, he informed, was done by a team of 78 medical professionals, notably, surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, paediatricians, radiologists, haematologists, chemical pathologists, pharmacists and several other support staff who were directly involved in activities that heralded the successful surgery.
He attributed the success of the surgery to excellent and committed multi-interdisciplinary teamwork, open-ended support and encouragement from the hospital management, as well as trust and patience from the parents.
He stated that the pre-surgery examination had revealed that the babies shared some vital organs including liver, chest wall, diaphragm and pericardium. But he was happy that the liver was successfully shared for the two babies using modern medical equipment.
Prof Ameh, a paediatrician, said the hospital has established a follow-up system to ensure regular monitoring of the babies, and also ensure good nutrition for their proper growth and development. In addition to that, the lead surgeon said that the chest wall remodelling might be required for Mercy as well as other routine medical examination.
He said: “This is the first time in Nigeria that we have separated twins conjoined in the chest and abdomen. Others have been joined in the tummy and not chest and abdomen as it was in the case of Goodness and Mercy.”
Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, in her remarks, appreciated God for the success of the surgery. She commended the medical professionals for their commitment, dedication and professionalism.
She then offered automatic employment to the mother who she was told was unemployed.
Father of the baby, Martins, appreciated God for using the management of the National Hospital to save the lives of their children, even when they had lost hope in the survival of the babies.
Martins, a self-employed painter, said that he lost hope when his wife was delivered of a conjoined twins because he knew that huge amounts of money would be required to do the correctional surgery. He said he lacked the financial strength to sponsor the surgery that would see to the separation of the twins.
“We never knew the babies were co-joined until they were born. My wife was regular in attending antenatal. She knew that she was pregnant with twins but she never knew they were conjoined,” he said.
Mother of the babies, Mariah Martins, confirmed that she had a scan on three different occasions during the pregnancy, noting that none of the processes confirmed that she was carrying conjoined twins.
Her words: “It was during the birth that it was discovered that the babies were conjoined. The medical officials became totally confused when they discovered the situation at the labour room.
“My first child was born through surgery and the scar was there. The doctors quickly opened the place with the hope of removing the babies through there but it was difficult for them. They began to pull them out of the womb with additional force and that led to serious injury on one of the babies.
“Even at that, the babies could not come out until they tore my body wider before the babies could come out. That was when it was realized that the babies were co-joined. The intestine of one of the babies was badly affected as a result of additional force that was applied during the birth.
“When they were delivered, I was quickly moved to my ward for treatment. The hospital officials called my husband for his input on the decision about being taken as regards the children’s survival. I requested that I should see them before they were transferred to the National Hospital. The nurses helped me to see them. I prayed and lay hands on them, and told them that they are the handmaids of God, and they left for Abuja.
“From that day till now, my hope and belief was strong that they would survive and God did it. I had several dreams during the pregnancy, which I ignored but that’s by the way. But in all, I give glory to God and the management of the National Hospital for their kind intervention.