Amid blackout, 7 babies delivered

MANILA, Philippines - Doctors at the government-run Ospital ng Maynila (OSMA) delivered seven healthy babies at the height of typhoon “Pedring,” last Tuesday, the hospital’s director said yesterday.

Out of the seven, six were normal deliveries, while one was delivered by caesarian section, said OSMA medical director Dr. Janet del Mundo Tan.

In an interview with journalists, Tan said that because of the power outage, doctors and hospital staff used only flashlights as they attended to the seven mothers.

“All the deliveries were successful...Those were the heroic actions of our doctors-obstetrics and gynecologists,” Tan said.

Christel Ventura, 23 years old, of Tondo, Manila, who had a caesarian section is a first-time mother and delivered a baby boy weighing 2.95 kilos.

“Everybody was there to help. There were those holding the flashlights as the mother went under knife. Everything was done manually even the pumping of blood was done using syringe needles. The suctions were also done manually,” Dr. Milagros Datu, the hospital’s chief resident, said.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who was informed of the “heroism” of the doctors promised to give them commendation.

Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno visited the OSMA yesterday morning after their inspection at the Baywalk and seawall damaged by the typhoon.

Lim and Moreno with city engineer Armand Andres also checked the extent of the typhoon damage in the hospital and conditions of the patients.

Tan said the flood level due to the storm surge was about knee-high at the basement of the hospital where the emergency room and medical ward is located.

She said the X-ray machines and other equipment, some medical records and computers were also damaged by the flood.