Amid the strong shaking from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Davao Oriental on October 10, a woman safely gave birth to her first child while temporarily staying in an evacuation area, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
According to a statement from the health department on Saturday, October 11, the mother gave birth simultaneously with the shaking of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake.
‘Meron kaming mobile curtain, nilagyan namin siya for privacy reasons. Pinaanak namin po siya doon,’ Dr. Bryan Dalid, Medical Center Chief II of the DOH-Davao Regional Medical Center, said.
(We have a mobile curtain, which we set up for her for privacy reasons. We delivered her baby there.)
‘Ang nagpaanak po sa kanya ang ating resident OB doctor at ang ating pong midwife,’ he added.
(Our resident OB doctor and our midwife delivered her baby.)
She was among the evacuees, along with 662 other patients, as part of the hospital’s precautionary measures.
The mother and child are safe and in good condition, according to the DOH. They were advised to return to the DOH-DRMC for their follow-up checkups.
Meanwhile, the DOH also said the woman’s delivery will be fully covered by the Zero Balance Billing program.
The latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recorded eight deaths and 146 injured individuals from the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes in Davao Oriental.