How Dubai cop helped Indian woman deliver baby at airport

Corporal Hanan Hussein Mohammed, a police inspector at the Dubai International Airport, was preparing to go back home at the end of her shift, when an Indian woman, 26, approached her in severe pain. When the officer checked her, she found drops of blood on her clothes and immediately called for an ambulance. That's when the Indian woman told her that she was six months and nine days pregnant.

The next 10 minutes would see the brave officer not only help the woman deliver a premature child but also revive his life, leaving a couple indebted to her forever for her quick thinking and presence of mind in saving their firstborn.

Corporal Hanan took the woman to an inspection room and made her lie down. That's when she saw the baby was crowning. With no time to lose, the officer helped the woman deliver.

Corporal Hanan told Khaleej Times: "The six-month-old baby did not scream as he came out and was not breathing. I knew something was wrong and had to act immediately. I hit him in the back twice, but he still did not cry. For the next three minutes, I administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the baby."

Corporal Hanan could not believe what she heard next. The sweet sound of the child's cries rang through the tiny inspection room. "By then, a doctor had come and he cut the umbilical cord. The mother and child were then rushed to the Latifa Hospital."

On Saturday (April 20), the Dubai Police honoured the officer.

Officer recalls experience

Recalling the experience, Corporal Hanan said the Indian woman was on her way to Mumbai. She hadn't disclosed that she was pregnant and proceeded to the departure gate to



board her flight.

"Just 10 minutes before my shift was to end, she came to me in pain. She told me that her husband and she could not afford the delivery costs in the UAE and decided to go to India to deliver the baby."

After the child was delivered, the officer ensured that the mother and child were rushed to the Latifa Hospital. At the hospital, the baby was moved to the neonatal ICU, where he will remain on an incubator for two months and 20 days.

"I was really scared when I helped the woman deliver her child. At the end of it, I could not believe that I had saved the baby's life and brought happiness to his parents. He was the couple's first baby and they were very happy," Corporal Hanan said.

Corporal Hanan and some other officers went to the hospital to check on the baby and his mother.

As he honoured her, Brigadier Ali Atiq bin Lahej, Director of the General Department of Airport Security, said the officer's professional approach and humanitarian act had saved the life of the woman and her baby. "The various training programme our officers go through help them deal with various emergency situations."

'I have a son now'

Corporal Hanan Hussein Mohammed, who helped a woman deliver her child at the Dubai International Airport, said she has been with the Dubai Police for seven years, but considers this experience as the most special. "I cannot express my happiness. I have three daughters, but with this child, I now have a son!"

The officer said that her three daughters were at home, waiting for her to go and feed them. "At that time, I forgot about everything else and had a single focus: To save the mother and her child. I thank God for helping me remain strong."