KOTA KINABALU: July 7, 2026 – The Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital (HWKKS) has made history by successfully performing surgery to separate a pair of pygopagus conjoined twins on 2 July, demonstrating the capability of specialist medical services in Sabah to handle complex congenital anomalies.
According to a statement from the Sabah State Health Department (JKNS), the procedure was carried out at HWKKS’s main operating theatre, involving a multidisciplinary team that included experts from Peninsular Malaysia.
The premature baby girls, born at 32 weeks and from the interior of Sabah, underwent the operation when they were 28 days old after one of them developed heart problems and kidney failure. This necessitated an earlier separation than is typical, as such procedures are usually performed between four and six months of age.
Pygopagus twins are conjoined at the sacrum (the base of the spine), the neural tube, the lower gastrointestinal tract and the genitalia.
The surgery was successfully carried out through collaboration between teams specialising in Neonatology, Anaesthesiology, Paediatric Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, as well as Radiology, alongside nurses and other clinical support staff.
According to JKNS, both babies were successfully separated and are now in a stable condition, receiving close monitoring in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at HWKKS.
The department added that the success underscores HWKKS’s commitment to providing the best possible care for children with complex congenital anomalies.
“The expansion of specialist expertise in Sabah allows children with complex congenital anomalies to access treatment more quickly, while also reducing the emotional, financial and logistical burdens on their families,” the statement said.
The achievement also strengthens Sabah’s healthcare system capacity to provide high-tech specialist care within the region, thereby reducing the need to refer patients to hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia for certain cases.
