Delta Govt ‘Abandons’ Conjoined Twins Delivered At State University Teaching Hospital 

A pair of conjoined twins who youth corp member father could not afford money for their separation have been ‘abandoned’ at the Delta State Teaching Hospital.

BigPen Online learnt that the twins are left unseparated a week after they were successfully evacuated through a Caesarean section.

Two officials of the hospital where the operation on the mother was carried out, said that the delivery of the conjoined twins was the first since the hospital was established.

The officials who crave anonymity told one of our correspondents that the Delta state Government had failed to respond since the delivery of the babies.

The state government was showing indifference over the delivery which has since be communicated to the authorities, a source who confirmed the visit of the Commissioner for Health in the state to the hospital said.

“The state Commissioner for Health, Mr. Mordi Ononye has been here on a visit to see the Siamese twins but to our utmost surprise, he asked the hospital management to keep the matter out of the media, and said categorically that the state government lacks the finance to address such matter and governor Okowa is not even interested in such issue.

According to the source, who is a management staff, the state official reportedly urged the parents of the twins babies to find a means to raise funds and see that their conjoined twins are surgically separated without involving the state government.

The hospital staff who disclosed that the conjoined twins are both males and their father is a Youth Corps member, said that if urgent steps are not taken the children might die.

“We pleaded with him (Commissioner for Health) to meet the state governor and table the matter with him so that something could be done since its our first case, but he insisted that the Governor is not ‘interested’.

Continuing, our source said, “If it were to be the tenure of former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan who is a medical doctor, this is one case he would have gladly without hesitation release funds for and ensure the surgical separation of the conjoined twins is carried out without any delay.

“The incumbent governor is also a medical doctor, but its very unfortunate and disappointing. There are medical doctors and there are medical doctors”, a nurse lamented bitterly when journalist cornered her for a chat at the hospital on Sunday.

“The conjoined twins case, is a rare medical occurrence and first of its kind in Delta State. The antenatal scans we carried out so far, revealed that the babies have two kidneys, two hearts but one liver and as we talk we are yet to carry out the post natal scan to ascertain the true position.

“The babies both weighed 4.6 kg at birth with one umbilical vein, they are both on oxygen and stable except for a slight recorded case of hypoglycemia, low blood sugar. My heart is bleeding seriously for the kids.

“If it were to be in some states this incident occurred, the state government will take the bills for the surgical separation of the babies.

“Though, it’s no longer news that governor Ifeanyi Okowa does not have interest in the health sector in the state hence you see that the sector is in state of decay.

“Go round hospitals across the state you will understand better but things were never like this in the immediate past administration of Uduaghan. I am using this medium to also call on the general public and individuals to come to the aid of these babies.” the nurse appealed.

Meanwhile, parents of the children have called for financial assistance from the general public and individuals to enable them carry out the separation of their twins since there is no aid coming from the state government.

State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Mordi Ononye failed to respond to calls and messages put to his mobile line as at the time of filing in this report.

The conjoined twins at the Teaching Hospital, Oghara

Story by Julius Eras-Olabowu