Malawian woman gives birth in public transport as hospital grounds ambulances

A woman in her twenties was on Friday forced to give birth in public transport in Dowa after health workers failed to give her ambulance transport from Mponela Health Centre to Dowa District Hospital due to fuel shortage.

Hospital staff at both Mponela Health Centre and Dowa District Hospital confirmed the incident on Saturday describing it as embarrassing.

The guardian to the lady told the media that on the wee hours of Friday, health personnel at Mponela Health Centre told her there were some complications in the pregnancy and referred the pregnant woman to Dowa District Hospital as a precaution measure in case she would deliver by ceasarian.

However, she said ambulance transport was not provided because of lack of fuel so the two had to jump into public transport, a minibus.

Unfortunately, she said the minibus delayed on the way as it waited for passengers to fill it and drop off some passengers on the way when labour intensified and was forced to give birth to a bouncing baby boy.

The guardian, who is the woman’s mother in law and refused to give her name said this was an embarrassing situation she had never experienced, her grandson born in public transport which drew severe criticism from onlookers had no knowledge of the situation before the birth.

Davie Luka, spokesman for Dowa District Hospital refused to comment on the matter saying he had not been in office lately.

But the incident comes at a time when the government has a full fledged safe motherhood headed by former First Lady Callista Mutharika to ensure that women give birth in hospitals to battle birth related deaths.

The women says the minibus owner has since slapped her with a K15000 fine for giving birth in his minibus, a figure she says she would not be able to pay because she is poor, that is why she failed to hire a car to Dowa District Hospital.

 

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