A TRIP to hospital was just to long for baby Gugulethu Okuhlekonke Khanyile born in an ambulance on the side of the N2 highway near Empangeni on Friday night at 10.30pm.
First time mother Nomzamo Buthelezi (31) was certain she would make it to hospital, but her baby girl, who was only due at the end of October, had other plans and despite her speedy arrival, is in a stable condition at the uMfolozi War Memorial Hospital in Empangeni.
Buthelezi had endured complications since Wednesday after she experienced severe abdominal pain during an antenatal workshop at the Richards Bay Municipal Clinic and was rushed to hospital, stabilised and discharged the following day.
Her partner, Vusi Khanyile, says he arrived home on Friday evening to find Buthelezi in immense pain and took her to the Phaphamani Clinic in eSikhawini where her condition quickly deteriorated and she began bleeding.
‘The staff said she must be taken to hospital immediately, however there were no ambulances available to transport her.
‘I thought of transporting her myself in the car, but I feared that if something went wrong I would not be equipped to deal with such an emergency.
‘Eventually we were left with no option but to call a private ambulance service, Mounties Ambulance, who arrived, stabilised her before transporting her to hospital.
‘ While travelling the bleeding increased and eventually the ambulance stopped along the N2 road and the baby was safely delivered.
‘ She was not breathing at first and fear gripped me, however after resuscitation efforts she coughed out the blood and was fine,’ he said.
Khanyile said he found it disturbing that there was no public ambulances available and stressed the important role of private ambulances in bridging the gap in service delivery.
