NEWS

Dumping Of Newborn Babies ‘Heart Wrenching And Unacceptable’

The baby was said to be found covered in blood with her umbil­ical cord still attached and lying on a patch of grass on the side of the road.
01 Sep 2019 17:10
Dumping Of Newborn Babies ‘Heart Wrenching And Unacceptable’
The street where the baby was found.

The recent case of a new-born baby who was found along Lakeba Street in Samabula, in Suva has been de­scribed as heart wrenching and such incidents unacceptable.

According to a Police report, the new born baby girl was re­covering at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital after she was found in Samabula on Friday af­ternoon.

The discovery was made by a 19-year-old woman along Lakeba Street.

The baby was said to be found covered in blood with her umbil­ical cord still attached and lying on a patch of grass on the side of the road.

She was rushed to the CWM Hospital as she was still breath­ing and received immediate med­ical attention.

She was recovering in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, Police had also identified the mother of the baby as she presented herself to the hospital yesterday morning.

“The 19-year-old woman who initially reported the matter was identified as the mother,” a Po­lice report says.

Minister for Health and Medi­cal Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqain­abete says: “Life is an important gift, which we cannot duplicate. When children are born, the first few hours are vital.

“This is a priority for the Minis­try of Health.”

He added that as a society we must come together and agree that these actions are unaccep­table.

“It is important we remind our­selves of how vital life is. The core message of the ministry is the importance of protecting life and health,” Dr Waqainabete said.

He said that there were mecha­nisms and social protection available for those who find themselves in difficult positions.

Both the Ministry of Women and the Ministry of Health work hand in hand in such cases.

“We partner with the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare to support women. They are able to apply for food voucher assis­tance among others,” he said.

“The ante-natal clinics are set up in such a way that would support them. We also have pro­visions or opportunity for par­ents to get $1000 to help support them.”

This assistance is only avail­able to those below a certain sal­ary grade.

The Minister of Health, is how­ever optimistic that attitudes and mindsets of people can be changed positively.

Edited by Naisa Koroi



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