Woman loses 29-week pregnancy after being unable to find a hospital to perform an emergency delivery
Published: 02 May. 2026, 11:18
Updated: 02 May. 2026, 11:22
![An image of an ambulance [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/05/02/956eb77e-7588-44f2-8bfb-5146b3450d56.jpg)
An image of an ambulance [JOONGANG ILBO]
A woman who was 29 weeks pregnant and unable to find a hospital in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, to perform an emergency delivery was transferred all the way to Busan, but her pregnancy could not be saved.
According to fire authorities on Saturday, an emergency call was received at around 11:03 p.m. the previous day from an obstetrics clinic in Heungdeok District in Cheongju, reporting that the fetal heart rate of a 29-week pregnant woman — who had been hospitalized at the clinic at the time — was dropping.
As the fetal heart rate declined, the clinic requested transfers to hospitals in North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Daejeon and Sejong, but they reportedly informed the clinic that they could not accept the patient due to a lack of specialists or other reasons.
After contacting hospitals nationwide, fire authorities eventually arranged for a helicopter transfer for the patient, and about three and a half hours later, she was transported to Dong-A University Hospital in Busan. However, the fetus did not survive.
The woman underwent surgery and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GUSEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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