Addington Hospital brazen abduction attempt shocks MEC
MEC Dhlomo hails vigilant nurse and appeals for vigilance among security and healthcare staff.
KZN Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo has heaped praise on a vigilant nurse who foiled an attempt by two men who tried to abduct newborn babies and their mothers from Addington Hospital on 22 September.
It is alleged the two men, wearing Departmental name tags on their persons, gained access into Addington’s maternity ward and told nursing staff that they were collecting mothers and their newborn babies. This was under the pretext of helping the mothers register the babies’ birth certificates as part of Government’s campaign to register all births within the first 30 days.
However, the alert sister-in-charge of the hospital at the time refused to release the mothers and their babies, forcing the men to leave.
In his reaction on 30 September, Dhlomo described the incident as shocking and extremely concerning. “We are really taken aback. This has all the makings of attempted human trafficking,” he said.
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Dhlomo confirmed that the Department of Health had a partnership with the Department of Home Affairs which runs an online birth certificate registration system. This system ensures that all children who are born at major hospitals designated for specialised maternal and child care, such as Addington, leave the hospital with a birth certificate.
“So, we are saying that mothers don’t need anyone to help them in this regard. We are extremely grateful to the sister-in-charge who was vigilant and listened to her instinct and decided not to release the mothers and their babies. It is reprehensible that people would go to such lengths as to reproduce Departmental name tags and try to commit something so heinous. The pain and suffering that could have resulted from this is unimaginable,” he said.
He urged all security personnel, nursing staff and mothers themselves at all healthcare facilities to be extra vigilant. “It is clear that there are unscrupulous people who are out to cause mayhem,” he said.
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