Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah: Surgeon who turned Saudi Arabia into global hub for conjoined twins surgery

When families of conjoined twins are told that separation may be possible, many of them look to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the centre of those life-changing operations is Dr. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, the Saudi paediatric surgeon who has led one of the world’s longest-running and most specialised conjoined twins programmes.

Born on February 23, 1955, Dr. Al Rabeeah studied medicine at King Saud University in Riyadh, earning his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1979. He then moved to Canada to specialise further. In 1986, he completed a Fellowship in General Surgery at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. In 1987, he obtained a Fellowship in Paediatric Surgery from IWK Children’s Hospital at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That focused training in paediatric surgery would later define his career.

Launch of Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme

The Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme was launched in 1990 under King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and continued under King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Since its beginning, Dr. Al Rabeeah has led the surgical and multidisciplinary team responsible for performing separation procedures.

As of 2026, the programme has successfully separated 67 sets of conjoined twins from 28 countries. The majority of these surgeries were carried out at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

The Government of Saudi Arabia covers all expenses related to transportation, medical treatment, housing and other needs for the twins and their accompanying family members. Since 2015, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have fully supported treatment for each pair of twins deemed suitable candidates for separation by the surgical team.

Dr. Al Rabeeah has previously emphasised that the programme’s criteria are medical rather than political. “We pay for the travel and expenses. It has nothing to do with geography, religion or politics. It’s based on science and humanity,” he told ABC News in 2019.

Conjoined twins are an uncommon medical condition, and no two cases are identical. The feasibility of separation depends on how the twins are connected and whether they share vital organs such as the heart, liver or brain structures. Each case requires extensive imaging, detailed anatomical mapping and months of planning before surgery is even considered. Operations often involve large multidisciplinary teams including paediatric surgeons, anaesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and intensive care specialists. The procedures can last several hours and demand precise coordination at every stage.

Landmark surgeries that drew global attention

Several operations under Dr. Al Rabeeah’s leadership became defining milestones.

In 2002, Malaysian twins Ahmed and Mohammed underwent a 23-hour, multi-phase separation ordered by King Abdullah. The surgery required complex reconstruction of the skull and brain coverings and became one of the most widely cited medical achievements in Saudi Arabia.

In 2012, Saudi twins Abdullah and Salman were separated in Riyadh while Dr. Al Rabeeah was serving as Minister of Health, a position he held until 2014. The Health Ministry described the outcome as successful and used the case to highlight the Kingdom’s growing paediatric surgery capabilities.

In 2019, Libyan twins Ahmed and Muhammed were separated in what marked Dr. Al Rabeeah’s 48th conjoined twins surgery. The procedure was featured internationally, including on Good Morning America, and reflected the programme’s reach to families from conflict-affected and low-income regions.

In 2023, Syrian twins Bassam and Ihsan underwent a six-phase separation in Riyadh lasting approximately 7.5 hours. The operation involved 26 specialised Saudi doctors and was widely covered in Arab media as a symbol of advanced regional surgical expertise and humanitarian solidarity.

Another long-term success story dates back to 2004, when Polish twins Olga and Daria were separated in a 15-hour surgery led by Dr. Al Rabeeah. In 2026, the twins reunited with him in Riyadh and shared images of their meeting, drawing renewed attention to the lasting impact of these procedures.

Roles beyond surgery

In addition to leading complex separation surgeries, Dr. Al Rabeeah serves as an advisor at the Saudi Royal Court and as General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. He also served as Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health until 2014.

More than three decades after the programme’s launch in 1990, he continues to oversee its surgical direction and international outreach. From operating rooms in Riyadh to humanitarian coordination at the national level, his role has evolved from specialist surgeon to institutional leader behind one of the most sustained conjoined twins initiatives globally.