PARAMEDICS have been hailed as heroes after helping Sthandiwe Madlokovu, from Mkholombe in Port Shepstone, deliver triplets.

Senior paramedic Stanley Zulu and crew member Siboniso Khuzwayo, who work for Emergency Medical Services (EMS), responded to a call during the early hours of last Saturday (June 24).

They arrived at the home within 10 minutes, expecting to help a pregnant woman about to give birth.

They were in for a shock. “The call that we received was for a normal labour. When we got to where the mother had been waiting, we found that she had already given birth to her first baby,” said Mr Zulu. “We got there just before the second baby came out, and immediately began helping her,” he said.

“She was just as surprised as we were that she was having triples because all along, she was expecting twins. My colleague, Mr Khuzwayo inspected her further by feeling her stomach. That is when he realised that there was a third baby. We then helped her deliver again, and then about five minutes later, the placenta was delivered to signal that the process had ended,” said Mr Zulu.

Mr Zulu, who has been working for the KZN Department of Health since 2015 said the success of the delivery was down to teamwork as he and Khuzwayo had had mutual co-operation.

Throughout the delivery, the paramedics’ biggest concern was to keep the cold at bay.

“Due to the extreme cold we just wrapped them up and made sure they were comfortable before taking them to hospital,” he said.

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Asked about their initial reaction when they realised it was not a normal delivery, he said: “If you work for EMS, you must expect the unexpected. You must always be vigilant and ready for whatever comes because anything can happen,” he said.

Mom and babies were admitted to hospital and later given a clean bill of health.

They have been named Owami, Okuhle and Olona. Ms Madlokovu has a three year-old child.

She said she will be applying for a child support grant as neither she nor the father of the triplets are currently employed.

She was full of praise for the paramedics.

“I want them to know I am very grateful for the help I received from them. May God bless them,” she said.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, congratulated the paramedics.

“Delivering a baby is not for the faint-hearted. It can be a complex process under the best of circumstances. To help someone who was expecting twins deliver triplets safely, outside a health facility, is extra-ordinary. We salute them,” he said.