Parents using shelter to leave babies at institute
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Shanghai Daily, November 25, 2011
A shelter in north China's Hebei Province where newborn babies can be left anonymously by parents who cannot cope has received 18 infants since it opened in the summer.
The initiative, based at Shijiazhuang Social Welfare Institute, is the first of its kind in China.
Of the 18 infants, most with serious congenital disabilities, left in the shelter since June, 13 have survived, institute staff told Xinhua news agency.
"Parents may not be able to afford treatment and abandon their children out of despair," said institute director Han Jinhong.
As abandoning children cannot be eliminated, the institute tries to create the best outcome, Han said.
"We need to do whatever it takes to save the abandoned children. As long as they are alive, they deserve our help," Han said.
The shelter, called "Children's Safe Island," is a small room equipped with an incubator and an alarm.
After a baby is left in the incubator, the alarm will be triggered to alert staff from the welfare home.
Staff also check the shelter regularly throughout the night, the report said.
Compared to children left elsewhere, those placed in the shelter's incubator have a greater chance of survival, as it reduces the likelihood of contracting diseases such as pneumonia, said Han.
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