NewBorn Missing from Hospital

Father Pleads For Return Of His Newborn Baby Boy



SUNGAI PETANI, June 20 (Bernama) -- "Please return my baby. I really want my son back. Please don't do anything to him, his health condition is not okay yet," appealed the father of a six-hour baby boy who was missing from the ward at the Sungai Petani Hospital, Sunday.

Mohamad Nordin Idris, 34, said the incident had made him and his family very upset, especially after he was elated to be blessed with a son on Father's Day, Sunday.

"My wife delivered the baby at 8.32am. The nurse informed me that my son has to be transferred to Ward A4 due to breathing problems," he said when met at his house in Taman Sri Tanjung in Sungai Layar here Monday.

Nordin, who has two other sons -- Mohamad Norsyazwan, 10, and Mohamad Norsyamer, 5, -- said the 3.6kg infant was hooked to a respiratory system when he sent the registration document to Ward A4 where seven other babies were treated.

After that, he returned to the ward to meet his wife, Noryati Abu Bakar, 31, before returning home to take napkins and came back to see his son at 11am.

"When I sent the napkins, I saw my son was no longer in the respiratory system and was being fed milk. Then I called for azan but did not touch him," he said.

He said the last time he saw his son was at 1.30pm before going home and received a call from the hospital at 2.45pm asking to come to the hospital immediately.

Mohamad Nordin, who works in a biscuit warehouse here, said he was told by the hospital management that his baby was missing at about 2.20pm from the ward and was asked to be patient.

"How can I be patient, my wife and I are very disappointed over the incident due to the hospital's negligence. This is not the case of losing a cat but missing a baby.

"From what I know, only the baby's parents will be allowed to enter the ward and the ward's door will be locked when the visiting hours ends.

"But, from the three times that I entered the ward, the nurse on duty never asked who am I and the door was not locked. This is the carelessness which really affected me and my wife," he said, adding that the incident should not happen to anybody else. He said he lodged a police report at the Kuala Muda police station even though the hospital Director Dr Harif Fadzillah Che Hashim had made a similar report.

"The hospital's director said I need not have to lodge any report since the hospital has made a report but I don't care, I still lodged a report. I was also asked by the hospital management not to publicise the incident," he said.

He said he would discuss with his family on the next course of action, including suing the hospital.

"What's more important to me now is to calm down my wife, he said.

Noryati, looking dejected and depressed, hoped her son would be found as soon as possible.

She urged the authorities to step up efforts to find her son.

"I appeal to the person who has taken my son to take good care of him and return him to us," she said in between sobs.

Noryati, who was discharged from the hospital at 11am Monday, said she had not even seen her son's face but only knew that her baby was a boy when he was shown to her after she delivered the third child.

Meanwhile, attempts to meet hospital director Dr Harif Fadzillah for comments drew a blank.

-- BERNAMA