Daijiworld Media Network - Kochi

Kochi, Jan 4: Doctors at a private hospital in Kochi delivered a baby boy inside a car after a 21-year-old pregnant woman went into advanced labour moments after reaching the hospital premises on Sunday.

The woman, Aneeta, had travelled from Kannur to Aroor along with her husband Vijay and parents to attend a family wedding. Though her expected date of delivery was January 22, she developed labour pain around 3 am on Sunday and was first taken to a nearby hospital in Aroor, where medicines were administered to control the contractions.

However, as the pain intensified by around 8 am, the family rushed her to VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi. After being alerted about the emergency, Dr Adil Ashraf, emergency physician, immediately reached the hospital entrance.

On examining Aneeta inside the car, the doctor realised that the baby was already halfway delivered. With no time to shift her inside the hospital without risking serious complications, the medical team took a swift decision to conduct the delivery inside the vehicle itself.

“By the time the patient reached the emergency entrance, the baby was already coming out. Any delay or attempt to move her further could have been dangerous, so the delivery was carried out immediately at the spot,” Dr Adil Ashraf said.

After the successful delivery, the mother was shifted to the labour room for postnatal care, while the newborn was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for observation. Hospital authorities said both the mother and the baby are stable and doing well.

Expressing gratitude, Aneeta’s husband said the timely intervention by the doctors and staff saved both lives. “It was a very critical situation. The hospital team acted without delay and ensured my wife and baby were safe. We are extremely thankful to them,” he said.