MULTAN, July 31: Doctors of Nishtar Hospital referred on Tuesday six-day-old conjoined twin boys to Children’s Complex in Lahore for further treatment. The twins who share a heart were born on July 24 to labourer Intizar Ali, of Dhoraywala in Shujabad, 60 kilometres from Multan.

The grandmother of the babies named the babies Waris, saying “In ka Allah Waris hai” or God will keep them safe.

Father of the babies shifted the twins to Nishtar Hospital on July 25, where doctors marked the babies Waris A and Waris B.

Doctor Amir, who refused to tell his second name, told Dawn the babies had been admitted to the hospital for basic investigation. Conjoined twins or Siamese twins are formed from a single egg which develops into two separate balls of cells.

He says that although conjoined twins are conceived one in 40,000 pregnancies, many abort spontaneously or are terminated, while the remaining are stillborn or die within 24 hours of birth.

He said the twins had been referred to Children’s Complex where doctors would decide either to separate them or not.

Intizar is optimistic about the survival of the twins but is worried because of his poor financial resources. He said he would shift the twins to Lahore on Thursday (August 2).