Korean hospital refused to accept due to lack of staff, pregnant Vietnamese woman gave birth in ambulance

After collapsing at the Incheon International Airport terminal (South Korea) on March 16, a pregnant Vietnamese woman was taken to the emergency room by ambulance, but was refused admission by the hospital due to lack of staff, and eventually gave birth in the ambulance.

The ongoing strike in South Korea's medical sector has resulted in several cases where ambulances carrying emergency patients were unable to find hospitals.

The Korea Herald newspaper on March 17 quoted information from the Incheon Fire Department saying that the pregnant woman was a 30-year-old Vietnamese citizen and collapsed at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport in South Korea at around 12:20 p.m. on March 16 (local time).

The rescue team initially tried to take the pregnant Vietnamese woman to Inha University Hospital, but staff there refused to admit her. Other nearby hospitals made similar decisions.

The pregnant woman had to wait inside an ambulance in front of Inha University Hospital while rescuers considered other options.

Eventually, the pregnant woman’s water broke and she went into labor in the car. After about two hours, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Only then were both mother and child admitted to the hospital.

Since 2024, many ambulances carrying emergency patients have had difficulty finding hospitals in South Korea, amid a nationwide shortage of medical personnel due to the ongoing strike.

February data from the National Fire Agency showed a total of 104 cases of ambulances being turned away by hospitals during the Lunar New Year period, up sharply from 47 cases in the same period in 2024.

The strike began on February 20, 2024, when doctors walked off the job en masse to protest the government's plan to increase enrollment quotas at medical schools by 2,000 places within 1 year.

The government announced earlier this month that it would withdraw the plan and maintain the current enrollment level of 3,058, but on the condition that all medical students return to school by the end of March.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/benh-vien-han-quoc-khong-tiep-nhan-thai-phu-nguoi-viet-sinh-con-tren-xe-acuu-thuong-185250317144713686.htm