Warning: Above video features a lot of blood and may be disturbing to some viewers – just remember both baby and mother are fine now
Jakarta’s traffic is not just incredibly frustrating – it also poses a serious health hazard to people who need to get to the hospital quickly. Case in point: The above video shows a woman arriving at Pertamina Hospital in Cempaka Putih yesterday, along with her husband and her baby, which she had just given birth to in the car while it was stuck in traffic. A police officer who was helping them get to the hospital is sitting at the driver’s seat.
In case you’re worried, the mother and baby are reportedly both doing fine now.
The woman in the video, 26-year-old Purnamawati, is the wife of Army second lieutenant Ono Cahyono. When his wife went into labor yesterday morning, Ono tried to rush her to the hospital and even got the assistance of the Jakarta Highway Patrol to help them clear a route through the traffic in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.
But it wasn’t enough. At one point, Ono had to ask the police to help drive his car because he had to go into the back seat and help his wife who was starting to give birth.
This video was recorded just after they arrived at Pertamina Hospital and shows a nurse rushing over to help the couple and their newly-born baby.
“We brought them to Pertamina because it was the hospital closest to the location. Once we arrived, they immediately cut the umbilical cord. Thank God, mother and baby are both healthy,” Ono told Tribunnews.
We’re also very glad to hear they are doing well and that this story has a happy ending. But a lot of people in emergency situations who try to rush to the hospital in Jakarta are not so lucky – it’s one of the many reasons why finding effective solutions to the capital’s traffic problems is so important.
