After a taxing 14 hours of surgery, a team of 60 surgeons in Ankara, Turkiye successfully split the conjoined twins, Mirha and Minal, who were 11 months old. This is an incredible medical achievement.
The twin sisters, whose heads were fused together at birth in Pakistan, had little hope for the future until their family approached Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for help. Their request started an amazing journey of cooperation and hope.
In a desperate attempt to get assistance, the family got in touch with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Owase Jeelani in London. Although he thought it would be possible to safely separate the twins, the expense of doing so in the UK was too high. Dr. Jeelani was moved by the girls’ circumstances and contacted President Erdogan, who promptly made sure the girls would get the care they needed in Türkiye.
