Midwives on Motorcycles: Delivery in a Traffic Jam
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Imagine being in labor and getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the hospital. Every pregnant woman`s nightmare, right? Well, apparently not in Bangkok, where police officers are specially trained for this kind of situation.
Police officers delivering babies? In 1993, a special division of the Royal Thai Traffic Police Project was established to help people stranded in the notorious traffic jams of the metropolis that is Bangkok. When traffic turns to a gridlock, ambulances and other emergency vehicles cannot easily reach people in need. That`s where these special officers come in. On their motorcycles, they can weave between vehicles, not to give tickets but to provide medical help. And for some, with special midwifery training, delivering babies in cramped vehicles is all part of the job.
All in all, 145 officers are part of the division. They undergo medical training every three months at private and state hospitals. They practice delivering babies using dolls. Each officer’s motorcycle has a first aid kit that includes a baby blanket, a hand-operated oxygen pump to help newborns with breathing problems, and something to tie the umbilical cord.
So far, 81 babies have been delivered by these “midwives on motorcycles” in the last 10 years.
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