Johor health director Dr Aman Rabu, who confirmed the incident, said the complaint raised by the 36-year-old Covid-19 patient, was valid.

“She had to be placed in a closed isolation room due to Covid-19. The childbirth took place unexpectedly, six hours earlier than the estimated delivery time.

“The patient gave birth alone and her newborn baby was found on her bed,” he said in a statement today, adding that the department would take the necessary remedial action on the matter.

Aman said the patient, who was pregnant with her fourth child and in the 39th week of pregnancy, came to the HSI screening room at 5.33am on July 23 after experiencing early signs of labour.

She was then admitted to the HSI isolation room at 10.18am as she had come into close contact with her husband who had tested positive for Covid-19 while awaiting her own test result.

Aman said the woman was then placed in a labour room. Medical staff checked on her condition at 4.26pm after she was confirmed positive for Covid-19.

He said the woman was also scheduled to undergo Caesarean delivery as she was 4cm dilated and had irregular contractions.

On the woman’s claim that she heard laughter from outside the closed door of the room, Aman said the sound could have come from a nearby labour room where a vacuum-assisted delivery was being conducted.

The woman recently shared the incident on her Facebook page. which has since gone viral.