A two-month-old Namibian boy has undergone dramatic surgery after being born with four legs.

Andrew Palismwe, of Caprivi, is responding well to treatment after undergoing a nine-hour operation to remove two legs at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

The baby is now recovering at the Windhoek Central Hospital in Namibia, reported The Namibian.

Surgery: Andrew Palismwe is responding well to treatment after undergoing a nine-hour operation to remove two legs at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa

Windhoek Central Hospital neonatologist Dr Clarissa Pieper said: ‘This is a situation where identical twins are attached together as a result of a twin embryo that does not fully split, but forms two babies growing into each other. In this case, the other baby never fully developed.’

Andrew’s mother Ruthy Mutanimiye said at the hospital that her son had ‘quickly responded to medication’ after a day in intensive care.

She also spoke of her relief that her child received the operation that she could not afford.

Treatment: Andrew is recovering well from his surgery at the Windhoek Central Hospital in Namibia (pictured)

The Namibian government paid for the surgery through a fund that assists state patients with no access to private medical care.

Ester Paulus, a spokesman for Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services, said: ‘The fund was established to assist patients who do not have the means to undergo private treatment.

‘We attend to every application with urgency, and currently, there are no pending application forms.’

She refused to disclose the cost of Andrew’s operation, saying: ‘No amount of money can be measured with saving a life.’

Read more: Daily Mail