Abandoned babies still not claimed

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)