Babies abandoned across Gauteng hospitals
Newborn babies abandoned at Far East Rand Hospital
Thirteen newborn babies have been abandoned at Far East Rand Hospital this year.
This was revealed in a statement released by the Gauteng Department of Health on Thursday.
The hospital is among four other hospital across the province with the highest rates of child abandonment.
Carletonville Hospital and Leratong Hospital lead with 19 babies abandoned in each facility, followed by Far East Rand Hospital with 13.
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Thembisa Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital both had 10 babies abandoned in 2020.
This brings the number of abandoned babies to 118 this year alone.
According to the department, the reasons for the abandonment range from unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, lack of financial and emotional support from the father, undocumented migrant mothers to teenage mothers being fearful of their parents.
Once left behind, the time spent in hospital by the babies range from a week to a month or longer, depending on the medical condition of the baby.
It then takes time for the hospital social workers to facilitate the process for the transferal of a baby to an accredited child protection organisation.
Hospital social workers conducted educational awareness programmes with expectant mothers on care options, such as adoption, temporal care and foster care – in order to reduce the number of abandoned babies.
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“Through networking with child protection organisations, hospital social workers are able to provide mothers at risk for abandonment, with basic material support for both mother and child.
“This provides the mother with some immediate means to care for herself and the baby until she can make an informed decision.
“In instances where the mothers agree to care for the child, upon discharge, she is referred to a child protection organisation for further support and care options.
“Furthermore, there is improved identification of expectant or at new mothers at risk for abandonment.
“They are referred by nurses to hospital social workers for psych-education, counselling and other care options,” the department’s statement reads.
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