Three countries asked for US$1 million. Then Saudi Arabia stepped in to offer free surgery for Fiji's rare conjoined twins
A team of paediatric doctors at Fiji's main hospital spent eight months seeking help from multiple other countries, including neighbours Australia and NZ, but only the Saudi's came through.
Three countries initially requested US$1 million upfront to separate Fiji's rare conjoined twins, 10-month-old Di Cecea and Jesipeli Kikau. Born prematurely in a set of triplets at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, the doctors described this as the first case of conjoined twins in the country in 20 years. The twins' mother, Akenata Vulimaiigiladi, expressed gratitude for the hospital staff's support in her video shared by the Health Ministry.
Although Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States were approached, they all demanded the upfront fee. The Saudi Arabian government stepped in, offering to perform the surgery for free on humanitarian grounds, covering airfare and accommodation for the family who traveled to Riyadh's King Salman Hospital for the procedure.
The outlook for the twins was positive since they did not share vital organs, and the surgical team believed that outcomes for separation below the chest were almost always favorable.
Written by urgent.news from RNZ Pacific's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
