Nuttapol Kaewpraju of the Rawai Municipality’s Rawai Rescue Team told The Phuket News that his team were heading back to Rawai after transporting a patient to Vachira Phuket Hospital when they became stuck in traffic on Yaowarat Rd near the Sam Kong Intersection.
“We were on the way back and traffic was very slow, then a man jumped in front of our ambulance, waving his hands,” Mr Nuttapol explained.
“The man told us to come quickly, and that a passenger was about to give birth in the back of his tuk-tuk,” he added.
The rescue team made their way to the bright pink tuk-tuk, also stuck in traffic, to find 34-year-old Hlaing Hlaing Oo from Myanmar in the throes of childbirth, with a friend accompanying her.
“The driver told us that he had picked Ms Hlaing and her friend in Patong, but the woman wanted to go Vachira Hospital as that is where the doctor she is seeing about her bay is,” Mr Nuttapol explained.
“But the tuk-tuk was stuck in traffic, and there was no way she would have made it in time,” he said.
The rescue workers stayed and helped deliver the baby, a girl, into the world by the side of the road.
A medical team from Vachira Hospital arrived soon after to cut umbilical cord and take the mother and child into care.
“They were taken to the hospital to make sure they were both okay,” Mr Nuttapol said.
At last report both mother and child are healthy.
“Basically our job was done by 8:30am, but it was lucky for this woman that we happened to be passing by,” Mr Nuttapol said.
“This was the seventh time that I, as a part of the Rawai Rescue Team, have helped a woman give birth. Mostly, we have helped to deliver babies in the Rawai area, but today it just happened to be in Phuket Town,” he added.