A woman gave birth to Siamese twins (twins joined in some part of the body) on April 12 at the Nipepe health center in Niassa province.

In this case, the newborns are joined at the abdomen and share kidneys, intestines and genitals. The mother is 18 years old and had a normal delivery.

The local doctors observing the babies are assessing the possibility of performing a separation surgery at Maputo Central Hospital, STV reported on Saturday.

The surgeon at the Lichinga Provincial Hospital, Alfredo Chichava, said that the situation would have been detected if medical monitoring had been carried out from the beginning of the pregnancy, such as ultrasound scans.

"Unfortunately we don't have the habit of [carrying out] very early prenatal consultations, ultrasounds during pregnancy because these are cases that can be detected while still pregnant," she said.

The babies are currently under observation at Lichinga Provincial Hospital, where the feasibility of transfer will be determined.

This is the first case of Siamese twins in Niassa province.