Helicopter dash for 14-year-old mother

KOH YAO: The Police Aviation Division’s helicopter was in action again on June 5, picking up a young mother and her newborn baby from Koh Yao and delivering them to Phuyket Town’s Wachira Hospital. Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, head of the Phuket Health Office, was about to leave home for the opening ceremony of the Old Phuket Festival when the call came in. A 14-year-old girl was at Koh Yao hospital, he was told. She was having difficulty giving birth, and hospital staff were worried that both she and the baby were in danger. With high winds and heavy seas, transport to Phuket by boat was not possible, so the helicopter was dispatched. Even for the chopper this was no easy trip, said crewman Pol Senior Sgt Maj Boonchuy Chaisombat. “The wind was very strong and there was a lot of rain. It was difficult to land the helicopter because the landing pad is deep in the mountains.” After landing, they discovered that the girl had already given birth in the ambulance bringing her from the hospital to the helipad. Noting that the baby, a boy, was very pale, Dr Boonrieng decided that the pair should be brought back to Wachira, which is better equipped to handle problems than the small Koh Yao hospital. Dr Boonrieng said that both mother and child have recovered well but emphasized that girls wishing to start families should wait until they are older. “She is very young, and her pelvis is very small,” he explained. The girl, who sells snacks on Koh Yao, is married to a 22-year-old fisherman.