Riyadh: A medical team at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh successfully separated Jamaican conjoined twins on Thursday, November 13, following a highly complex surgery.
The twins, Azaria and Azura Elson, aged two years and one month, were joined at the lower chest, abdomen and liver, with possible shared intestines and pericardium. One of the girls also had severe congenital defects, including a weakened heart muscle with a pumping capacity of just 20 percent.
They had been under specialised care at the University Hospital of the West Indies since birth due to multiple health complications, including congenital heart abnormalities.
The nine-hour surgery was completed in six stages and involved a 25-member multidisciplinary team from nursing, anaesthesia, paediatric surgery and plastic surgery.
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The procedure was carried out under the supervision of leading paediatric surgeon Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, who heads the Saudi humanitarian aid agency KSrelief.
Dr Al-Rabeeah said this was the 67th separation performed under the Saudi Programme for Separating Conjoined Twins, highlighting the expertise and global reputation of Saudi medical professionals.
The family expressed gratitude to King Salman and KSrelief for facilitating advanced medical care for their daughters, and commended the medical team for ensuring the twins’ safety.
Azaria and Azura arrived in Riyadh on July 28, 2025, aboard a Saudi Ministry of Defence medical evacuation aircraft, as part of the Kingdom’s ongoing humanitarian initiative to support and treat conjoined twins from around the world.
Saudi Arabia is considered one of the leading countries in separating conjoined twins, owing to its medical expertise and dozens of successful surgeries that have brought hope to families worldwide.
