A two-day-old baby has survived being abandoned under a bridge near a hospital in the Eastern Cape.
The infant was discovered in good condition by a young doctor working at Settler’s Hospital in Grahamstown.
The Eastern Cape health department spokesman, Sizwe Kupelo said: “He was discovered by a doctor driving out of Settler’s Hospital. The baby boy weighs 3.3kg.”
This is the second baby to be abandoned this week. A newborn girl weighing 3.09kg was found wailing in a stormwater drain in Lorraine, Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. The baby was taken to Dora Nginza Hospital, where it is being treated for respiratory problems.
Dr Daniel Surdut, 27, who is based in the Settlers Hospital paediatric ward, said he was driving to town at 2.30pm yesterday in the middle of his 24-hour shift when he came across a group of pedestrians who were trying to flag down motorists.
His colleague at Settlers Hospital, administrator Linda Porter, who was in front of him, had stopped. He also stopped and they went over to the group, who were standing around an infant.
He said: “The infant was dressed in old baby clothes. It was quiet. The baby was clearly delivered at home. The umbilical chord was cut with a knife. It was infected. Judging from the umbilical stump the infant was two days old.”
Surdut said he quickly put the child in his car and returned to the hospital. He said blood tests were done to check if there were infections.
The child had only started crying in hospital when it was stimulated by staff.
“They are feeding the child with formula for the next few days, while we wait for the test results, and for social workers to come in,” he said.
He said having a baby in his car was a first.
“It felt delightful. I was so happy,” said Surdet, who studied at Stellenbosch University.
The department of health has raised concerns about increasing incidents of child abandonment.
Kupelo urged women who are not ready to have babies to visit clinics for family planning. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
Two babies found abandoned
The infant was discovered in good condition by a young doctor working at Settler’s Hospital in Grahamstown.
The Eastern Cape health department spokesman, Sizwe Kupelo said: “He was discovered by a doctor driving out of Settler’s Hospital. The baby boy weighs 3.3kg.”
This is the second baby to be abandoned this week. A newborn girl weighing 3.09kg was found wailing in a stormwater drain in Lorraine, Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. The baby was taken to Dora Nginza Hospital, where it is being treated for respiratory problems.
Dr Daniel Surdut, 27, who is based in the Settlers Hospital paediatric ward, said he was driving to town at 2.30pm yesterday in the middle of his 24-hour shift when he came across a group of pedestrians who were trying to flag down motorists.
His colleague at Settlers Hospital, administrator Linda Porter, who was in front of him, had stopped. He also stopped and they went over to the group, who were standing around an infant.
He said: “The infant was dressed in old baby clothes. It was quiet. The baby was clearly delivered at home. The umbilical chord was cut with a knife. It was infected. Judging from the umbilical stump the infant was two days old.”
Surdut said he quickly put the child in his car and returned to the hospital. He said blood tests were done to check if there were infections.
The child had only started crying in hospital when it was stimulated by staff.
“They are feeding the child with formula for the next few days, while we wait for the test results, and for social workers to come in,” he said.
He said having a baby in his car was a first.
“It felt delightful. I was so happy,” said Surdet, who studied at Stellenbosch University.
The department of health has raised concerns about increasing incidents of child abandonment.
Kupelo urged women who are not ready to have babies to visit clinics for family planning. — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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