Medical Breakthrough As Zimbabwean Doctors Separate Conjoined Twins

Kupakwashe and Tapiwanashe are two conjoined twins, who were born on 22 April in Harare to a Murehwa couple. They have now been separated after a medical breakthrough carried out by a team of 50 at Harare Hospital.

What makes this important in the history of Zimbabwean medicine is that the procedure was carried by a wholly Zimbabwean team.

Their father Mr Moses Chitigo is a fruit and vegetable seller in Murehwa.

The two boys had separate heartbeats but no visible dividing membrane.

Dr Bothwell Mbuvayesango who was part of the crew that made it all happen attributed the success to teamwork. The boys are now recuperating in the Harare Hospital Intensive Care Unit where they are being closely monitored a week after the surgery.

Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Paul Chimedza said that the procedures showed that Zimbabwe had doctors that could compete with the best in the world in terms of skills.

We’re pretty happy that this happened. Doing cartwheels and the lot. It is great when you get human interest stories of this sort that matter. It gives you confidence that given proper resourcing we can pull in incredible directions. This is especially true in light of the fact that Harare Hospital might not have good resources in terms of money but it as great people manning it.

The power of the human being is intense. We love it.

Quick side-note: Don’t you just feel good?

With information from Herald Zimbabwe