“No Baby Snatching At Sabah Gov Hospitals” Says State Health Dept Director
The Sabah Health Department lodged a police report to deny claims of “baby snatching” as reported by a national portal on 15 September.
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The Sabah health department has lodged a police report to deny claims that a hospital in the state “snatched” babies from mothers.
State health director Dr Asits Sanna said the department immediately launched an investigation after an article titled “Baby snatching: How stateless mums lose their infants in Sabah hospital” was published by a national portal on 15 September.
The article claimed that stateless mothers in a Sabah hospital were told to leave their babies in the NICU. These mothers would then find out that their babies were given away to adoptive mothers, essentially losing custody of their own flesh and blood overnight.
The article also alleged that these mothers were not pestered to pay the hefty hospital bills for their babies in the NICU. It’s believed the adoptive parent or family covered the bill.
This fear of “baby snatching” has allegedly led some expectant mothers to opt for home births.
Dr Asits said the department found the allegations false and said there were no such incidents in any government hospitals in the state.
Every patient who seeks treatment at any health facility will be given fair treatment based on the provisions of existing laws and regulations in Malaysia. For cases of abandoned or neglected babies and children, the hospital will refer to the Child Protection Officer (child protector) in accordance with the provisions under the Children’s Act 2001 (Act 611).
State health director Dr Asits Sanna
The department promised to fully cooperate with the authorities if an investigation is carried out.
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