South Korean woman gives birth in ambulance after 4 hospitals turned her down

SEOUL – South Korean rescue officials said on Aug 22 that a pregnant woman recently gave birth inside an ambulance after four hospitals refused to take her in because they lacked the necessary medical staff or beds in their emergency rooms.

According to Jincheon Fire Station in North Chungcheong Province, the woman called for an ambulance at 1.31am on Aug 15 after she went into labour. The rescue workers reached out to the four nearest hospitals in Cheonan and Cheongju, but all four said they did not have enough doctors or hospital beds to accommodate the patient.

The woman’s water broke during the search for a hospital, and the rescue workers decided to deliver the baby in the ambulance under the guidance of a medical professional. A baby was born an hour and 20 minutes into labour, with both the mother and the baby in good health.

Local hospitals have experienced difficulties in operating their emergency rooms amid the prolonged medical stand-off between doctors and the government over the latter’s plan to expand the enrolment quota for medical schools.

Medical personnel and hospital bed shortages were reported across the country, and Chungbuk National University Hospital – the largest general hospital in North Chungcheong province – had temporarily closed its emergency rooms from 2pm on Aug 14 to 8.30am the next day, during which time the pregnant woman gave birth inside the ambulance. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK