A Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Yao Voado, has stated that the first stage of surgery to separate the two-month-old Siamese twins conjoined at the head, must start immediately.

“The perfect time to separate them is within four (4) months after birth; they are now 83 days so we have, practically, one (1) month ahead to start putting scalp expanders in place, ” he said.

"That is how urgent it is for us to donate so that we meet our own deadline,” he told Daniel Dadzie, Host of Prime Morning on the Joy Prime channel Monday.

Dr. Yao Voado further explained that fixing the scalp expanders would help the scalps to grow in order to cover up the two (2) heads when the babies are eventually separated, as well as enable the babies live independently

He revealed that about $20,000 would be needed immediately to begin the process of separating the Siamese twins.

The phenomenon of twins conjoined at the head are said to occur once in every 2.5 million births.

This is the first time doctors at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) will conduct such a specialized operations.

The Siamese twins will need an amount of GHC 3,000,000.00 for the entire surgery.

Dr. Yao Voado, while appealing to the public for financial support, stressed that it is crucial for the surgery to be done early because the babies have blood vessels that are now coming up so any delay would cause the vessels to become more intertwined, making it difficult to separate them.

“But there is no physical money at the moment anywhere to buy the scalp expanders; all these things [including the expanders] are sourced from abroad and most of the things we need must be customized to suit the babies.”

“International experts have to fabricate that customized equipment for them for us to continue the process [of surgery],” he disclosed.

About 60 percent of twins conjoined at the head, unfortunately, die in the womb and another 35 percent die within 24 hours after birth, leaving only 5 percent who survive until surgery.

The Bansah babies, who have already defied great odds, will need another miracle of the required GHC3million for the surgery.

Donations can be made to 055 261 3553 (Samuel Addo) and 027 000 7786 (Ridge Hospital).