Woman gives birth in ambulance after 7 hospitals turn her away

An ambulance is parked outside a hospital in South Korea. Korea Times file

A woman in her 34th week of pregnancy gave birth inside an ambulance in South Korea after being turned away by seven hospitals, underscoring ongoing strains on regional obstetric care.

According to the Chungbuk Fire Department, a 119 emergency call was received at 8:23 a.m. Monday from a woman in her 20s reporting that her water had broken.

Emergency dispatchers assessed that labor was imminent and contacted seven hospitals, including facilities with obstetrics departments in the region. All declined to accept the patient, citing a lack of available beds and other reasons.

She gave birth inside the ambulance at 9:44 a.m., approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after the initial emergency call. She and the newborn were then transported at 10:11 a.m. to a hospital in Wonju, a neighboring city in Gangwon Province.

Both the mother and child are in stable condition, according to authorities.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.