Shanghai Doctor Delivers Baby on High-Speed Train in Mid-Journey Emergency
A doctor aboard a high-speed train leaving Shanghai helped a woman deliver her baby, assisted by remote guidance from hospital obstetricians.
A pregnant passenger went into labour aboard a high-speed train departing Shanghai, prompting a doctor travelling on the same service to step forward and assist with the delivery.
Fang Yu, a urology doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, also known as Shanghai Changhai Hospital, was on board when the emergency unfolded. He linked up with the hospital's obstetrics specialists, who provided remote guidance, and the birth was completed through a relay of assistance involving several parties.
In an account of the delivery, Fang said he and those helping put on sterile gloves before assisting the mother. Working under the direction of Cai Shengyun, the team disinfected the area and cut the umbilical cord.
Recordings from the scene captured the urgency of the moment, with calls for a doctor once the baby's head had emerged and reassurance that medical help was on the way. Train staff were seen assisting the doctor, and the newborn was later attended to by the conductor, who helped keep the infant warm.
Emergency medical personnel and station doctors arrived to receive both the mother and the baby.
Fang, who described himself as a military doctor, said the response reflected a duty to serve the public. In such situations, he said, he would always step forward.