Bangladeshi conjoined twins going home 18 months after being separated in the country’s first such surgery

Bangladeshi twins conjoined at birth have gone home nearly a year-and-a-half after being separated in the country’s first such successful operation, a doctor said on Tuesday.

Two-year-old sisters Tofa and Tahura, joined at the spine and at the rectum, underwent a gruelling nine-hour operation in August 2017 conducted by a team of two dozen doctors.

“They were released from hospital late Monday after their conditions improved,” said Shahnoor Islam, a paediatric surgeon who led the groundbreaking surgery. “They can walk and also play like any other normal babies. They are on their way back home. But we’ll observe them from time to time.”

Born to poor farmers, Tofa and Tahura – who do not use a surname – were brought to Dhaka from northern Gaibandha district, 260km from the capital. Their mother, Shahida Begum, said how happy she was.

“I have never thought they would be separated and live a healthy life. But thanks to Allah, we are now returning home with Tofa and Tahura no longer conjoined,” Begum said.

The parents almost gave up hope of separating the twins after local doctors told them there were no experts in Bangladesh who could perform the operation and surgery in other countries would cost too much. However, the surgical team which separated the twins was in fact Bangladeshi.