Give a child a chance
Since being installed almost a year ago, the baby safe at Hope iThemba Crisis Pregnancy Centre has yet to be used by women who are not able to care for their babies.
This is very worrying to centre director Pat Kemp.
“After reading about the most recent story in the Advertiser where a mother dumped her baby, I want to urge women to use the baby safe.
“This is what it was put in for, to prevent babies being dropped in the veld or at the dump,” she says.
The staff at Hope iThemba test the safe at least once every two weeks by placing something heavy inside the safe, as it works on weight.
“The safe is computerised and everyday it sends an SMS to three phone numbers of staff members to show that it is still working,” explains Pat.
If a baby is put inside the safe, the outside door locks as soon as it is closed and the baby is safe inside.
The only way the baby can be retrieved is through a locked room on the inside of the building.
“As soon as the baby is put in, we get an alarm message on the phones and we come out right away”.
The staff warm the baby and make sure it is stable before taking it to the Far East Rand Hospital (FERH) where the baby is checked and treated if necessary.
“We organised with the paediatricians at the hospital that any baby we bring from here is admitted immediately,” says Pat.
Socia worker at the FERH Jacobé Botha says the baby will be taken intot he hospital via the normal admittance procedures.
“The baby will be seen by a doctor in casualties, then be put into the paediatric ward and from there, step down into the Lonmin House.
“We then refer the baby’s details to the local welfare or Abba House Baby Shelter in Pretoria,” says Jacobé.
“The safe is in an area that is very private and people may not be aware of it,” says Pat.
She urges women who are not able to look after their babies to use the safe so that the baby will have a chance at life and will be cared for.
Pat says that many babies are left outside the FERH. “At least those babies do get found and taken in, but this may only be after a couple of hours, we would respond immediately to the baby safe”.
Even though the mothers who leave their babies in the safe can do so anonymously, Pat says the centre does have to keep a record of when the baby was left in the safe.
“The police will investigate just like they would if the baby was dumped in the veld and the mother can be charged with negligence.”
Pat asks women to come to the centre and talk to staff so the baby can be legally and properly adopted. But if mothers don’t want to do that, the baby safe is the next best option for them and Pat hopes that they will use it.
