"No Beds Available"...Pregnant COVID-19 Patient Gives Birth in Ambulance After Searching 16 Hospitals

119 ambulance.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A pregnant woman who was undergoing home treatment after testing positive for COVID-19 gave birth in an ambulance due to a shortage of hospital beds.

On the 19th, the Yangju Fire Station in Gyeonggi Province reported that at 12:49 a.m. on the 18th, a 30-year-old woman identified as Ms. A, residing in Yangju City, called 119 reporting vaginal bleeding and labor pains.

However, when the paramedics arrived and took Ms. A into the ambulance, they contacted nearby hospitals with the cooperation of the Gyeonggi Northern Disaster Control Center and Yangju Public Health Center. They were informed by 16 hospitals that there were no available beds for pregnant women. Judging that they could not delay any longer, the paramedics began preparing for delivery inside the ambulance under remote guidance from the fire medical team.

Fortunately, firefighter Eunjeong Park from Yangju Fire Station, who was on board, had been specially recruited as a nurse, and firefighter Sumin Choi was an experienced paramedic with extensive emergency training and field experience. Using the delivery kit available in the ambulance, the paramedics assisted Ms. A in giving birth, and she safely delivered a baby boy at around 1:36 a.m. They removed foreign substances blocking the newborn’s mouth and nose, maintained the baby’s breathing, protected his body temperature, and transported him to Seoul Medical Center.

Firefighters Park and Choi said, "We felt the preciousness of life and the fulfillment that comes from emergency rescue activities." A representative from Yangju Fire Station stated, "Thanks to correct judgment and emergency treatment on site, we were able to preserve the precious life and health of the patient," adding, "We will continue to work hard for the safety of citizens."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.