Aid organizations warned that the birth of a baby for an Afghan refugee in a hotel room without a doctor was a sign of the “cold reality” of delays faced by many families evacuated to the UK.
After a volunteer who happened to be nearby delivered the baby, the healthy baby boy was wrapped in a hotel towel when he was born.
This raised questions about how to take care of the 8,000 Afghan evacuees evacuated during the epidemic. acceptance By air this summer, many of them lived in hotels across the country.
In the weeks since the mass evacuation work, volunteer groups have sprung up, providing food and clothing to refugees while they wait for the system to find a home for them.
But Melanie Clark, a Royal Air Force A veteran working as a nurse, when she arrives at a hospital, she gets more than she bargained. London The hotel planned to distribute supplies, and a baby was born.
As part of Ems4Afghans, a community organization from Emsworth, Hampshire, she has been setting up a donation booth with veteran Matt Simmons.
Ms. Clark told PA News Agency: “Matt handed me a phone call, basically saying that this man’s wife is pregnant-she is in pain.
“We went to the room, I think I might reassure someone and make sure the ambulance is on the road.”
The woman and her husband don’t speak much English But a volunteer colleague of Ms. Clarke was able to translate.
Questions and answers must be conveyed from the ambulance control room to Ms. Clark and her colleagues, and then translated for the husband and wife before returning.
Ms. Clark said that at some point, it was obvious that the nursing staff would not arrive in time and she would deliver the baby-for the first time in her life.
Ms. Clark working at St. Richard’s Hospital Hospital In Chichester, West Sussex, he told PA: “I am a nurse, but our nurse training did not involve midwives.
“Before the baby was born, before its head came out, it was terrible.
“Whether this will get better is frightening and nerve-wracking.”
We can’t stand by and watch…it’s not enough to bring them to this country, because they are traumatized and they need some kind of future
Without knowing the mother’s medical history, Ms. Clark realized that there might be a problem she did not know about.
The baby boy-the mother’s sixth child-was born safely and quickly.
But Ms. Clark, who served in Iraq with the Royal Air Force, said this has raised questions about the level of medical care available to British refugees.
“They are registered with a general practitioner, but the level of support they receive and their knowledge of pregnancy are very, very limited.
“I just thought, I’m sure it will happen again.”
She added that more work needs to be done to help those evacuated from Afghanistan.
“We can’t stand by and watch… it’s not enough to bring them to this country, because they are traumatized, they need some kind of future… they need to know what will happen next.
“I went to Iraq. I saw the difficulties people face and the impact of war on people.”
Nearly three months after the airlift, the Ministry of the Interior stated that the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Program (ACRS) was “not yet open” and will provide more information in due course.
Louise Calvi, head of services and protection for the charity Refugee Action, said people who were taken to the UK during the Kabul airlift were “living in a difficult situation”.
She added: “We want to congratulate our families. We hope they can build a safe and happy life in the UK.
“But what is shocking is that three months after Kabul was evacuated, thousands of Afghan refugees are still living in hotels, with no fixed employment, medical care or education opportunities.
“Instead of committing to welcoming people warmly, they see the cold reality of our refugee protection system.
“The ministers must act faster to get people out of the hotel and integrate into our community, where they can start to rebuild their lives properly.”
