Over 100 babies abandoned at Gauteng hospitals
The Department of Health in Gauteng says it’s concerned by the increase in the number of newborn babies abandoned at hospitals in the province.
In the current year, 118 babies have been abandoned at various public hospitals.
Hospitals such as Carletonville, Leratong in the west of Johannesburg, Far East Rand, Tembisa and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, south of Johannesburg, have a high rate of child abandonment.
Spokesperson Kwara Kekana says the babies spend between 1 and 4 weeks at the hospital.
“Some of the reasons cited for abandoning babies includes teenage mothers being fearful of their parents, unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, lack of immediate basic supplies of clothes and toiletries for the mother and new born upon discharge, lack of emotional, financial and social support from the father, and undocumented migrant mothers.”
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Many companies have had to resort to laying off staff due to the economic damage brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent hard lockdown imposed by the government. Many more people are expected to lose their jobs due to the economy, which is expected to suffer anything between a 7% and double-digit contraction for 2020.
She adds the department is looking at ways to deal with the spike.
“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.”
