Abandoned babies still not claimed

JAKARTA (JP): None of the parents of the seven babies abandoned at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital have come to claim their babies despite widespread media coverage, the hospital's director said yesterday.

Director M. Ahmad Djojosugito said the hospital had tried to locate the seven babies' parents but none of the addresses given to the hospital were real.

"Finding patients' addresses in big cities like Jakarta is not an easy job. Besides, we don't ask patients to make a copy of their identifications before they are treated here," Ahmad said.

"Maybe they (the parents) deliberated to leave the babies here," he said, saying the hospital would raise the babies if necessary.

He said it was not the first time parents had abandoned their babies at the hospital. "But, it is the first time we've had seven babies," he said.

The hospital's medical team said the babies -- three boys and four girls, were in good health. Several nurses were caring for them in the hospital's maternity ward.

Hospital staff said parents abandoned babies for many reasons, including poverty or because the babies came from an illicit relationship.

Ahmad said illicit relationships were not the hospital's business. "Here, we just treat patients."

Since the media reports many couples have contacted the hospital to say they would adopt the babies.

The hospital was not in charge of adoption, he said.

Other institutions under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Services are in charge of adoptions.

The ministry usually designates foundations to arrange adoptions.

Ahmad said the hospital was waiting for a response from the social services ministry to the hospital's letter about the seven babies.

Hospital spokeswoman Tini said earlier that two foundations, Tiara Putra and Sayap Ibu, would take care of the babies and their adoption.

However, the foundations said they had not received any letters appointing them as the babies' caretakers.

"Frankly, we knew about the seven babies until after reading newspapers. We had been surprised by people calling us, expressing their interests to adopt the babies," Rien Tjiptowinoto, the adoption coordinator at the Sayap Ibu foundation said.

But, if the foundation was appointed to take care the babies' adoption, the foundation would need time before the babies could be adopted, Rien said. "There's some procedures for the adoption, including searching the baby's background."

Nani Suhadi, head of Tiara Putra foundation's survey team for foster parents, said many people contacted the foundation about adopting the babies.

She said the foundation was ready to care for the babies and was waiting to be appointed by the Ministry of Social Services. (ste)