A team of Australian surgeons is preparing to conduct a complicated surgery to separate a pair of conjoined twins.

14-month-old Nima and Dawa Pelden were born in Bhutan joined together at the belly.

The toddlers have arrived in Australia and will head to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital for a dramatic operation, where doctors will attempt to separate the babies.

The hospital successfully separated conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna in 2009.

Nima and Dawa are believed to share a liver and possibly a bowel. They are now undergoing tests so doctors can plan the procedure.

The Children First Foundation brought the girls to Australia and the organisation’s CEO Elizabeth Lodge joins Ben Fordham.

“They’re safe and sound in Australia. They’re a little bit tired as you can imagine, as well as their mum,” she says.

“They’re now awake, they’ve had a feed and are just settling in.”

Elizabeth says it’s still unclear when the surgery will go ahead.

“The tests will start from tomorrow.

“The girls will have to have an MRI… and once they have a clear picture the team will be ready to go.”

The surgery and the care the twins need doesn’t come cheap and will cost upwards of $250,000. You can donate to help Nima and Dawa HERE.

Click PLAY below for the full interview

Photo: Damon Johnston (Twitter) credit – Alex Coppel