Doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital have successfully separated a six-day-old baby girl from an underdeveloped parasitic twin attached to her lower back, in a rare and highly delicate operation.
The surgery was performed during a specialized medical camp at Mulago, where surgeons treated children with complex surgical conditions. Unlike identical twins, parasitic twins occur when one twin stops developing in the womb and survives by relying entirely on the healthy twin’s blood supply.
Dr. Stella Nimanya, senior paediatric surgeon who led the team, said on Wednesday that the procedure involved carefully removing the non-viable twin to safeguard the life of the healthy baby.
“While parasitic twin surgeries are often long and risky, this operation took less than three hours,” Dr. Nimanya said, noting that a previous similar case at Mulago lasted more than 20 hours.
Although the twins did not share major organs such as the heart or liver, the parasitic twin had visible limbs, ribs, and genital structures but lacked vital systems for survival. Dr. Nimanya explained that the underdeveloped twin was straining the healthy baby’s heart by drawing blood, and there was a high risk that decaying tissue could cause infection, organ damage, or heart failure.
Mulago Hospital has developed strong expertise in handling such rare cases, performing about a dozen parasitic and conjoined twin separations over the years. Most patients come from low-income families and are treated free of charge.
When asked about the cost of such procedures, Dr. Nimanya said it varies due to the involvement of multiple specialist teams, advanced imaging, laboratory tests, and medications. Previously, the hospital covered about 21 million shillings (around $5,400) for a conjoined twin surgery involving a shared liver.
The baby girl has since been discharged in stable condition. Her mother, Rachael Nantongo, said she had no idea she was carrying twins until she went into labor while visiting her in-laws in the Busoga sub-region. Nantongo delivered by Caesarean section at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital before being referred to Mulago three days later for specialized care.
Parasitic twin cases are extremely rare, occurring in approximately one in every one million births worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The successful surgery marks a significant medical milestone for Mulago Hospital and a life-changing moment for the young mother and her child.
