JEDDAH: Islam Saqr Ramadan, father of Egyptian conjoined twins Mina and Mai, said the decision by King Salman to treat his children at the Kingdom’s expense has returned happiness to his family.
King Salman ordered that the twins be transferred to Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz Medical City for treatment.
An Egyptian website quoted Ramadan as saying that he received a phone call from the Saudi ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Qattan, inviting him to come and finalize his papers to travel to Riyadh.
The father added that he received a call from Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the head of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, which specializes in such cases, who stated the center’s readiness to deal with the expenses and the parents’ accommodation costs.
The Saudi Press Agency said King Salman ordered that the Egyptian conjoined twins undergo necessary medical tests to assess the possibility of a separation.
“This is a kind and noble gesture of the king toward needy people in the Kingdom, Arab, Islamic and friendly countries,” Al-Rabeeah told the agency.
The Egyptian media have highlighted the issue of the twins, who are joined in the head and share some membranes around the brain and veins.
The family faced a difficult time in Egypt, partly due to the high medical expenses incurred.