As the surgeons at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Peshawar, consider options to operate the two-day-old conjoined twins to separate them, the family hopes and prays for a miracle.

Doctors at the hospital are regularly examining and conducting medical tests of the conjoined twins, but are yet to decide whether they can conduct the complicated surgery to separate the new-born twins or not.

Two days back a mid-age woman from Charsadda district was shifted to HMC for delivery.

“The woman, a mother of five, gave birth to twin girls Safa and Marva conjoined by their heads,” the hospital spokesman said, adding that the birth of conjoined twins was first of its kind at their hospital.

“We are looking forward towards the government to make this separation surgery possible," said the uncle of the infants, since the family doesn't have money to pay for the expenses either within the country or abroad.

Meanwhile, senior doctors of HMC and other teaching hospitals were also visiting the hospital’s children ward to check the conjoined girls.

HMC’s medical director Prof Dr Shahzad Akbar told Dawn.com that the conjoined twins are stable and have been shifted to ward, adding that doctors were conducting different medical tests.

“The MRI report confirms that the twins are conjoined at head but their brains are separate,” he said.

“There is a thin cleavage between the two brains anteriorly, however, posteriorly the cleavage cannot be delineated,” the MRI report reads.

“The grey/white matter differentiation is normal, ventricles, basal cisterns and cortical sulci appears normal considering the age of the patient. No midline shift is seen, no evidence of any abnormal signal intensity lesion seen.”

The report further reads that the optic chiasma, pituitary gland and brainstem appear normal, adding that the vestibulocochlear nerve complex and fifth nerve appears normal.

Doctors at HMC termed the case very complicated. “It’s very complicated and difficult case for surgery,” said Dr Shahzad.

He said the hospital has called board meeting of doctors and specialists on Wednesday noon to take their expert opinion on this matter.

“Initially we are not in a position to conduct the separation surgery as we have no advance facilities at the hospital,” he informed, adding however, the board meeting decide the case.

The family members of the conjoined girls are hoping to see a positive decision by the board which is scheduled to meet tomorrow.

“We are waiting for doctors’ report,” the uncle of the girls, Muhammad Sadaqat, told Dawn.com. He informed that the father of the girls, Zahidullah, died almost a month back due a cardiac arrest.

He said that the family lives in a hand-to-mouth condition and did not have much money to pay for the complicated separation surgery and other treatments.

“Initially doctors have told us that the separation was possible in Singapore and other developed countries which will need a huge amount,” he said.

“We are looking towards the government for this separation surgery.”