Two conjoined twins from Burkina Faso have been successfully separated at the Gaslini Pediatric Hospital in Genoa (Italy), following a surgical procedure lasting over 12 hours. The operation was made possible thanks to an international alliance promoted by the Patrons of the World’s Children’s Hospitals, with the support of the Liguria Region, the NGO Una Voce per Padre Pio and the hospital’s medical team. The girls, who arrived in Italy on May 20, received initial treatment at the Tengandogo University Hospital Center in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. On June 6, the separation surgery took place, lasted about 12 hours, involving more than 50 professionals, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and social health workers from Gaslini, together with external experts. The girls are now in stable conditions and are being monitored in the Institute’s Intensive Care Unit.

Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio, president of Patrons of the World’s Children Hospital, said: “Days and results like this are the ultimate meaning of the mission we have set ourselves, which is to focus on those ‘invisible’ children whom no one cares for and to treat 500,000 of them in three years. The story of these two twin girls paints a vivid picture of our project, conceived as a true global alliance for children’s health, in the name of the Pope and Catholic solidarity. I would like to thank Gaslini for its extraordinary work and all the partners who have made it possible to achieve this goal, but above all who will enable us to continue reaching out to children around the world who are in urgent need of care”.

Patrons of the World’s Children Hospital is a US-based not-for-profit corporation that coordinates The Pope’s Global Alliance for the Health and Humanitarian Care of Children, by raising awareness and funding. It oversees the Hub and Spoke model, with centers of excellence that provide scientific support to the Spokes, clinics and hospitals around the world where demand for healthcare is unmet.