Thousands of women give birth on the floor

Thousands of pregnant women are delivering their babies on the floor, at the country’s largest referral hospital in the nation’s capital.

Academic head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UPNG Medical Faculty, Professor Glen Mola told NBC News, that about 1343 women gave birth to their babies on the floor at the labor ward, in May this year - due to a lack of bed and space in the ward.

This was the highest number of deliveries that were conducted on the floor.

April saw the second highest floor deliveries of 1008, with others numbering in the hundreds for the months of April to September.

Professor Mola gives a breakdown of these figures.

He’s described this scenario as undignified, disrespectful and dangerous for the womenfolk:

Between 40-50 babies are born in a day at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

The hospital saw about 15-thousand babies delivered last year and is estimating about 18 thousand this year.

Meanwhile, the Health Department is fully aware of the lack of beds and spaces at the Port Moresby General Hospital, particularly at its Labor Ward. 

Minister Elias Kapavore when addressing the issue of thousands of women giving birth on the hospital floor, raised by this newsroom - says it is an ongoing issue that is very concerning.

He says the Department’s plan is to work with the three districts of Moresby South, North West, and East and their MPs to build level 4 district hospitals that can provide primary health care, including birthing facilities, so there is less burden on the national referral hospital.

Moresby South has started work on its multi-million-kina district hospital which is expected to be opened soon.

Minister Kapavore says presently about 30 percent of the primary health care which should be performed at the district level hospitals is being taken to PMGH, including a delivery of babies.

He also highlighted the lack of and need for a health master plan for the city which will outline and capture all these needs.

The Port Moresby General Hospital only has about 164 beds in its labor ward: 24 in the labor ward, 4 in admission, 96 in postnatal, and 40 in antenatal.

This means, in a day, only about half of the 40-50 babies that are born are delivered and their mothers are attended to on beds while the other half of them have the floor, as their only other option.