World Scene: Singapore

Hope for conjoined twins

A prominent Singapore doctor said yesterday it was "premature" to rule out an operation to separate Indian twin sisters joined at the head.

Neurosurgeon Keith Goh, who had been asked by the state government of Andhra Pradesh in India to separate five-year-old twins Vani and Veena, said he was still in discussions with doctors on the case and was waiting for more thorough investigations. He disagreed with published remarks by Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan cautioning that an operation is more likely to harm the patients.