KOTA KINABALU: A pregnant woman in labour could not make it in time to a hospital due to a traffic jam here and eventually delivered the baby in the car.
The 39-year-old woman and her husband were on their way to the Sabah Women and Children hospital in Likas but could not make it and she gave birth to the baby, a girl.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Farhan Sufyan Borhan came across their vehicle on the side of the Lintas road here and pulled over to check at about 1.45pm on Wednesday (June 1).
Farhan said that he was on his way back to the state headquarters, which is about 500m away.
"I immediately contacted the fire brigade and helped to calm the victim and tied off the baby's umbilical cord.
"The Emergency Medical Rescue Services (ERS) unit arrived shortly and provided initial treatment before handing over the woman and child to medics who arrived in an ambulance for further action," he said.
Farhan said the victim and the baby were in stable condition and were now at Likas Hospital for further observation.
He said this was not the first time he had faced such a similar emergency and that there have been cases where women had to give birth at the fire station due to transportation problems.
"The EMRS unit is well-prepared for such situations," he said.
