Sanghar: What began as a routine inter hospital transfer turned into a rare and high pressure emergency on a Sindh highway when a woman went into active labour and delivered triplets inside a moving ambulance while being shifted from DHQ Hospital Sanghar to PMC Nawabshah, officials said on Tuesday.
According to officials, Ms Kaneez Fatima was being transferred under medical supervision when she suddenly developed strong labour pains mid journey. With no time to reach a hospital and no option to stop on an open road, the ambulance crew was forced to convert the vehicle into an emergency delivery unit.
Emergency Medical Technician Abdul Hanan, who was on duty inside the ambulance, immediately initiated emergency childbirth protocols and managed the delivery inside the confined space of the vehicle. The ambulance, part of the Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services 1122 fleet, is equipped with advanced life support facilities and multiple essential medical devices designed to handle critical situations during transit.
Officials said the situation became even more complex when it became clear that the patient was not carrying a single baby. Inside the moving ambulance, three baby girls were delivered one after the other, a scenario rarely encountered even in fully equipped labour rooms.
Following the delivery, the emergency team carried out immediate assessments of the mother and the newborns. Once all four were found to be stable, a clinical decision was taken to divert the ambulance to the nearest suitable health facility instead of continuing to Nawabshah.
The ambulance proceeded to the PPHI Health Centre in Khadhro, where the medical staff received the mother and her three newborn daughters and initiated postnatal care. Hospital officials confirmed that the mother and all three babies were in stable condition upon arrival.
Emergency service officials described the incident as a powerful example of the expanding role of ambulance based care in Sindh, particularly in districts where long distances and delayed access to tertiary hospitals can turn routine referrals into life threatening emergencies.
Across the province, SIEHS 1122 ambulances have assisted in more than 920 childbirth deliveries so far, many of them occurring in transit due to delayed referrals, long travel times, or sudden complications during pregnancy. Health experts say such figures highlight both the lifesaving potential of trained emergency responders and the continuing gaps in timely maternal health services at the district and tehsil levels.
Medical professionals note that multiple pregnancies such as triplets carry significantly higher risks for both mother and babies, including premature birth and complications during delivery. Managing such cases outside a hospital setting requires not only equipment but also rapid decision making and skilled hands.
Officials said the successful outcome in this case was made possible by the training of emergency medical technicians and the availability of advanced equipment inside modern ambulances, often described as mobile intensive care units.
For the emergency crew on duty that day, the road between Sanghar and Nawabshah briefly became more than a transport route. It became a delivery room, a critical care unit, and the starting point of three new lives, brought safely into the world far from a hospital bed.