Capital hosts Auckland’s ‘three wise men’
They are known around the traps at Wellington Hospital as the three wise men, but Christmas Day triplets Elia, Rumi, and Sameer Alqudah were only born in the capital because there was no room at the Auckland inn.
The three boys – Elia and Rumi are identical twins while Sameer, or Sam, is their non-identical triplet – were delivered by Caesarean section in Wellington Hospital in that order at 11.49am, 11.50am, and 11.53am on Friday.
Their mother, Dina Wahid, can’t praise the staff at Wellington Hospital enough. But she was left dismayed and angry at Auckland medical staff, who she said had months of warning the triplets were coming, yet told her on December 23 there weren’t three neonatal intensive care (NICU) beds available in the city, and she would have to have her babies in Wellington.
She flew to Wellington on a Starship medical plane on Christmas Eve to have her babies in a city where she knew nobody and had no support, apart from her husband Moe Alqudah. ‘‘I think it is just shocking that this is what it has come down to in this country.’’
An Auckland health board spokeswoman could not comment on the specific case but said the city’s NICU ward was in high demand. Safety was the top priority and there were procedures to deal with busy times, she said.
Meanwhile, the three wise men – as Elia, Rumi, and Sam are known around Wellington Hospital – are expected to be released from Wellington Hospital and sent to Auckland’s neonatal unit just as soon as a space comes up.
Their mother held them for the first time on Sunday. ‘‘It did feel surreal,’’ she said. ‘‘It was amazing.’’