Medical Student Helps Woman Deliver Baby on Board Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Duranto Express
Hyderabad: A 23-year-old final-year medical student of GITAM medical college is winning hearts across social media platforms after she helped a woman give birth to a baby girl on board Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Duronto Express earlier this week. Even though the delivery of the baby girl was premature, the baby girl and her 28-year-old mother Srikakulam are doing just fine after the delivery.
The medical student K Swathi Reddy, stepped up to help pregnant Srikakulam who went into labour mid-journey and is now being applauded for delivering the baby on board the train despite having no medical equipment with her.
Swathi Reddy from Guntur district of Andhra Prdesh, is in her final stage of MBBS training (and is not a qualified doctor yet) at GIMSR (Gitam Institute of Medical Sciences).
Speaking to TOI, Reddy said that the incident took place in the Third AC bogie in which she was traveling. “I was worried a lot and also fear gripped because this is the first delivery that I performed on my own. Earlier, I assisted professors in the hospital. Initially, I was worried and also afraid because the placenta had not come out for 45 minutes. I was relieved when the baby came out,” she said.
Reddy further stated that the woman’s labor pain started at around 3.30 am and somebody asked for the help of a doctor at around 4.40 am and the baby was born at 5.35 am near Annavaram. The baby was born when the woman and her husband were going to their native place Srikakulam as the delivery date was near. After the birth of the baby girl, it took the couple one and half hours to find a hospital because there were no stoppages between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
“Newborns should be kept in warm conditions. But it was an AC bogie. Passengers gave their blankets wrapped to the child. Many passengers helped a lot in performing delivery by converting the compartment into a makeshift delivery room,” she said. Later, a 108 ambulance was kept ready at Anakapalli station, following which, the mother and newborn were shifted to NTR government hospital where the baby girl was put in an incubator.
Following the successful delivery of the baby, Reddy has received widespread praise on social media and also in person. Her noble act came to light after Gitanjali Batmanabane, Professor VC Medical Sciences at GITAM Deemed University, took to Twitter and wrote about Reddy.
Student of GITAM deemed to be university’s medical college, Dr Swati, an intern conducted a delivery on a moving train and delivered a healthy baby girl. The grateful parents named the baby after her. Kudos to Swati, well done.. pic.twitter.com/VbjI9ZoUGO
— Gitanjali Batmanabane (@Gitaaiimsbbsr) September 13, 2022
We are overwhelmed with pride as our #GIMSR student Swathi Reddy whose courage and presence of mind in a moving train ensured a beautiful healthy baby girl was born without any complications. The parents want to name the baby after @KesariSwathi 👏🏾Kudos to you! #GIMSRhospital pic.twitter.com/WWdZDDbzGD
— GITAM Deemed University (@GITAMUniversity) September 14, 2022
The medical college also took to the social media platform and showered praises on Reddy. The college took to its Twitter handle and wrote, “We are overwhelmed with pride as our GIMSR student Swathi Reddy whose courage and presence of mind in a moving train ensured a beautiful healthy baby girl was born without any complications.”