Rabeya and Rukaya, the successfully separated skull-conjoined twins, are doing well in their home in the village of Atlanka under Mulgram Union of Chatmohar in Pabna.
Confirming the matter to the media on Tuesday afternoon, the father of the two children said that the duo is well. The children reached their home in the village with their parents on Monday after the successful surgery and long-term treatment.
Hundreds of curious people and relatives thronged the house of school teacher Rafiqul Islam to see his daughters. When the microbus carrying the two children reached their village, the children’s grandfather Alhaj Mohir Uddin Mandal and grandmother Nomesa Khatun warmly greeted them with flower and love. The villagers also received them cordially.
To mark the return of their home, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually joined a video conference in CMH on March 14 from her official residence Ganabhaban. She said that the successful surgery and recovery of the conjoined twins in the Mujib Borsho is a matter of joy and pride. She wished them good health and beautiful life while exchanging greetings.
Rabeya and Rukaya were born on July 16 in 2016 in the house of Rafiqul Islam and Taslima Khatun in Atalanka village under Mulgram union of Chatmohar upazila in Pabna.
The teacher couple was worried about the daughters since their birth. Later, Mother of the Humanity, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took all the responsibility for the treatment of the two children when she came to know about the matter from her sister Sheikh Rehana.
The skull and brain of Rabeya and Rokaiya were successfully separated in a 33-hour long operation at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in the capital from August 1 to 3 in 2019. Such operations are rare across the world and this one was the first in Southeast Asia. Post-operative success rates are also very low across the world.
After the main operation, several other operations were performed on the two children at different stages. Their last surgery was conducted on October 28 in 2020. The two children are currently almost healthy apart from some birth defects.