Bingerville Mother and Child’s Hospital : First Lady Dominique Ouattara visits Siamese twins successfully separatedBingerville Mother and Child’s Hospital :

It’s a day full of emotion and joy for the First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara. On Monday, January 6, 2025, she visited the Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville to see the Siamese twins Marie-Dominique and Grâce-Dominique, who have just been successfully separated after an operation of rare complexity.

The twins, named after the First Lady, are 7 months old. Long before the operation, their parents used to hide them from the public. This complex operation has given them a better start in life.

The President of the Children Of Africa Foundation was therefore pleased to visit the neonatal unit in the presence of the children’s parents to hear their news. She took advantage of the occasion to encourage the parents, offering gifts to the children and financial support to the parents.  After this emotional visit, the wife of the Head of State had a meeting with the medical team. Following this meeting, the First Lady shared her joy. “I wanted to tell you that this is a great day for me, because I’ve just seen our two little Siamese twins, Marie-Dominique and Grâce Dominique. What’s more, they bear my name.

You can imagine the tenderness I have for her, It was a complicated operation that lasted over 13 hours and 16 hours of anaesthesia. I’m really happy because I went to see them just now. They’re all so cute. They gave me smiles as if nothing had happened,” declared Mrs Dominique Ouattara, with a tremor in her voice. She also praised the essential role played by the parents and grandmother, who were present at every moment to support the two little ones. Their happiness is now immense: Marie-Dominique and Grâce-Dominique, now separated, will be able to grow up and lead a normal life. The First Lady warmly thanked the medical team for their exceptional commitment, as well as La Chaîne de l’espoir, a key partner in this success. “I wanted to say thank you to the medical team at my hospital. I’m very proud of them, because they have been doing a wonderful job. And I’d like to tell them that they make me very proud,“ she said, before concluding on an inspiring note: “This moment is a symbol of hope and courage.”

Mr. N’gou Pierre Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, thanked the First Lady for having donated this high-quality hospital, which significantly strengthens Côte d’Ivoire’s health system.

 Professor Sylvia Da Silva-Anoma, Medical and Scientific Director of the hospital, described the operation and the challenges encountered by the medical team.

Mrs Aka Akassi Charlette, mother of the Siamese twins, thanked the First Lady. “I’m so happy. I’m so happy. Because it’s not easy for a mother to see her two children like this. Today, I’m happy. I appreciate the operation that was performed. At first I was discouraged. I wondered how I was going to live with them,” says Mrs Aka. But then she rejoiced: “Today, they’re fine. They are separated, and everyone can see them.  She also thanked the First Lady for her help.

This event marks a turning point in the medical handling of complex cases in Côte d’Ivoire.