RIYADH: A specialized Saudi medical team began complex surgery at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh on Thursday to separate 13-month-old Fijian conjoined twins Jesepeli and Diceacea as part of Saudi Arabia’s conjoined twins program. A statement from Saudi aid agency KSrelief said: “In implementation of the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the separation surgery for Fijian conjoined twins Jesepeli and Diceacea has commenced in Riyadh. The procedure involves 34 medical professionals and will be performed in nine stages over approximately 15 hours, marking the 74th separation procedure under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.” The program is operated by the aid agency and run under the patronage of the Saudi leadership. KSrelief supervisor general and head of the conjoined twins separation program’s surgical team, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, said the twins arrived in the Kingdom on July 21. The medical team conducted a thorough assessment and concluded the twins were conjoined at the abdomen and pelvis and shared a liver, intestines, colon, anus, urinary system, reproductive system and pelvic bone. He said the medical and surgical team planned the procedure to be carried out over nine stages, lasting around 15 hours. A total of 34 people, including consultants, specialists and technical and nursing staff, would be involved in the operation. Al-Rabeeah added that medical assessment showed it was a complex procedure with a success rate of 70 percent. This surgery marks the first separation of conjoined twins from Fiji and is the 74th case to be handled by the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has provided care for 159 sets of conjoined twins from 28 countries since 1990. Al Rabeeah, on behalf of his medical team, expressed appreciation to King Salman and the crown prince for their support of the program, which has made the Kingdom a global leader in the field.