Pregnant woman airlifted 150km to Jeonju after 25 hospitals turn her away

A woman in her 35th week of pregnancy living in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, was airlifted about 150 kilometers to Jeonju in North Jeolla Province after 25 hospitals across the country refused to admit her, and she ultimately gave birth there.

According to Jeonju Jesus Hospital, the woman, identified only as A, a woman in her 30s, called 119 emergency services at around 2:07 a.m. Thursday from Anseong, reporting that her amniotic fluid was leaking.

Paramedics determined she faced a high risk of premature birth and fetal infection due to premature rupture of membranes and immediately began searching for a hospital that could take her.

Medical staff and beds capable of handling both a high-risk delivery and neonatal intensive care were needed at the same time, but 25 hospitals — including those operating government-supported high-risk maternal and newborn integrated care centers — in Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and the Chungcheong provinces all said they could not accommodate her.

The National Fire Agency contacted Jeonju Jesus Hospital at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, and the hospital agreed to accept her after a review.

A was flown by fire department helicopter to Jeonju Jesus Hospital, about 150 kilometers from Anseong. She arrived at around 5:16 a.m. and successfully delivered with the assistance of a team of obstetricians, pediatricians and anesthesiologists.