Mother abandons baby at Mulago's labour ward

By Violet Nabatanzi

MULAGO National Referral Hospital is stuck with a baby boy who was abandoned at the labour ward by his mother.

The midwives at the ward cannot even locate the mother of the baby because the label which was put on the baby’s right hand after delivery was also removed. 

“The mother was transferred from the labour ward after delivery to the postnatal wing. Since this ward is always busy, we do not keep watching every mother. 

The mother who was sleeping near this baby informed us eight hours later that his mother had left the baby at around 8.00am and had not returned,” Sulphine Tunomugisha, in charge of the labour ward told New Vision Online. 

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Sulphine Tunomugisha cradles the baby boy whose identification tags were also removed by his mother. Photo by Violet Nabatanzi

Since Friday the baby weighing 3kgs is still being monitored by the nurses and the midwives of the ward. 

The Area Manager of the Labour Suite, Josephine Apinyo, said the baby feeds on milk which is got from the Special Care Unit (SCU). 

Apinyo added that they are going to consult social workers who may later on hand over the baby to a care home. 

Tunomugisha revealed that the ward receives at least three to four abandoned babies every month, and over 60 mothers deliver from this ward every day.