‘Placing babies in baby hatch not a criminal act’

KUALA LUMPUR: Mothers who place their babies who are of undetermined status in a baby hatch do not have to fear that they are breaking the law.

Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun said the government hoped these mothers would opt to place their babies in the baby hatches rather than abandon them in random places, which would be a criminal act.

“In this way, the safety and health of the baby would be assured as the baby hatch is a secure facility,” she said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday.

She was replying to a question from Dr Mansor Abdul Rahman ( BN- Sik) on the impact of the baby hatch in the country and if babies left there were safe.

Azizah said according to statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police, 59 cases of abandoned babies were reported between January and June this year.

Azizah said the number of cases of abandoned babies had been increasing annually since 2013.

“In 2013, there were 90 cases of abandoned babies, this increased to 104 ( 2014), 111 ( 2015) and 115 (2016),” she said.

She added that to date, eight Baby Hatch centres had been set up in KPJ hospitals throughout the country with two in Kuala Lumpur and one each in Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Pahang.

There are also Baby Hatch centres in three OrphanCARE Protection Centres in Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Petani in Kedah and Johor Bharu in Johor. — Bernama