OrphanCARE opens baby hatch

PETALING JAYA: With reports of increasing numbers of babies dumped these days, many would feel pessimistic that the situation could worsen.

But things are changing for the better with organizations lending a helping hand to address this problem.

One such organization is OrphanCARE near here, which has saved five newborns so far.

OrphanCARE president Datuk Adnan Mohd Tahir said that none of these babies were disabled and they were successfully placed with foster families.

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As a non-profit NGO, OrphanCARE’s baby hatch located at Kg Tunku was set up to save newborns and to provide a solution to baby-dumping.

Starting out with a database of 30 parents eager to adopt, OrphanCARE now revealed an astounding figure of about 400 parents waiting to adopt babies.

Adnan said 90 percent of feedback from people on the setting up of the baby hatch was positive.

Official sources reveal that Universiti Malaya Medical Center is in the midst of setting up another baby hatch sometime soon.

“If society is willing to keep an open mind and provide support, Malaysia can expect to see more baby hatches being set up,” Adnan said in an interview recently.

Malaysia has recently seen a chain of young mothers disposing their babies. This led to the idea of setting up the ‘baby hatch’.

According to statistics, 407 baby dumping cases were recorded from 2005 to 2009 and 60 cases, so far this year.

Out of the 60, the gender of 14 babies could not be identified due to decomposition.

Adnan said mostly young, unwed, unprepared and desperate mothers who were in fear of society’s vile eyes dumped their babies.

“They lack financial and emotional support from their friends and family,” he said.

Adnan said that the baby hatch was there to help desperate young mothers, but it was not the final solution to baby-dumping.

By: Mariam Abbas (23.09.10)