KWAZULU-Natal MEC for Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has hailed the heroism of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) paramedics who successfully helped a Port Shepstone mother deliver a set of triplets recently.
Senior paramedic Stanley Zulu, 40, and crew member Siboniso Khuzwayo responded to a call during the early hours of Saturday (24 June 2017) (01:19) and got to the scene 10 minutes later.
“The call that we received was for a normal labour. When we got to where the mother had been waiting, we found that the 27 year-old female had already given birth to her first baby. We got there just in time before the second baby came out, and immediately began helping her. She was just as surprised as we were that she was having triples because all along, she was expecting twins. My colleague (Khuzwayo) inspected her further by feeling her stomach. That is when he realised that there was a third baby. We then helped her deliver again, and then about 5 minutes later, the placenta was delivered to signal that the process had ended,” said Zulu, who is an emergency care technician at the Port Shepstone EMS base.
Zulu, who has been working for the KZN Department of Health since 2015 said the success of the delivery was down to teamwork as he and Khuzwayo had had mutual co-operation.
Throughout the delivery, the paramedics’ biggest concern was to keep the cold at bay.
“Due to the extremely cold environment, we just wrapped them up, clapped them and made sure they were comfortable and we transferred them to hospital.”
Asked about the paramedics’ initial reaction when they realised that this was not a normal delivery afterall, he said: “If you work for EMS, you must expect the unexpected. You must always be vigilant and ready for whatever because anything can happen.”
The mother of the babies, Ms Sthandiwe Madlokovu, from the Mkholome area near Marburg, and the triplets were admitted to hospital, where they were given a clean bill of health. They have been named Owami, Okuhle and Olona. Ms Madlokovu has another three year-old child. She said she will be applying for a child support grant as neither she nor the father of the triplets are employed.
She was full of praise for the paramedics. “I want them to know wherever they are that I am very grateful for the help that I received from them. May God bless them.”
MEC Dhlomo congratulated the paramedics. “Delivering a baby is not for the faint-hearted. It can be a complex process under the best of circumstances. To help someone who was expecting twins deliver triplets safely, outside a health facility, is extra-ordinary. We salute them.”
Paramedics Mr Zulu &Mr Khuzwayo recently assisted in the delivery triplets. 3 baby girls are all healthy. For info see #kzn #health web page pic.twitter.com/eeOboWPnw7
— KZN EMS (@kznems) June 28, 2017