Vietnamese woman gives birth in ambulance after 13 hospitals in South Korea refuse to admit her

Woman gives birth in ambulance after hospitals in South Korea refuse to admit her

A pregnant woman went into labour at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport and was forced to give birth in an ambulance after 13 hospitals refused to admit her.

According to Chosun Ilbo, the 31-year-old Vietnamese national collapsed in Terminal 1’s departure lounge around 12.20pm on Sunday (16 March).

Source: Wikimedia Commons

After the initial assessment at Incheon Airport Medical Center, it was determined that treatment could not be provided there.

As a result, the Yeongjong Fire Station emergency team was dispatched to assist and transport her to a hospital.

13 hospitals refuse to admit woman in labour

The first hospital, Inha University Hospital, located 31km from the airport, declined to offer care, citing a shortage of obstetricians.

Source: Inha University

Firefighters then contacted 12 other hospitals in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, but all refused for reasons including lack of available beds and difficulties in handling first-time births.

Many hospitals also asked about how far along she was in her pregnancy. However, due to a language barrier, firefighters couldn’t provide an accurate response, leading to further refusals.

As reported by The Korea Times, the strike by thousands of junior doctors in South Korea, which has been ongoing since February 2024, has exacerbated the situation.

The strike was triggered by the government’s plan to increase medical school quotas to address a shortage of specialists in areas like paediatrics, obstetrics, emergency medicine, and thoracic surgery.

This ongoing disruption has led to widespread appointment delays and frequent rejections at emergency rooms.

Woman gives birth in ambulance at hospital parking lot

At 1.51pm, while waiting in an ambulance outside Inha University Hospital and still searching for an available hospital, the woman began experiencing severe abdominal pain.

Her water broke soon after, leaving the firefighters with no choice but to prepare for an emergency delivery inside the ambulance.

Source: Wikimedia Commons, for illustration purposes only

They successfully delivered a baby boy at 2.33pm, just two hours and 13 minutes after receiving the report.

“The mother and the newborn were transferred to Inha University Hospital for treatment,” shared an official from Incheon’s fire headquarters.

Nearest hospitals 30km away from airport

An official from Inha University Hospital, which operates the Incheon Airport Medical Center, noted that managing cases like childbirth is difficult there.

In February, Representative Heo Jong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed allowing Incheon International Airport Corporation to establish a general hospital to improve the airport’s emergency response capabilities.

“We will review with relevant organisations ways to respond more quickly to emergencies that occur within the airport,” an Incheon Airport official said following the incident.

Chosun Ilbo noted that the nearest general hospitals to Incheon Airport are approximately 30km away.

Also read: Woman in Taiwan gives birth inside toilet, did not know she was pregnant

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Featured image adapted from Times Higher Education, for illustration purposes only.