Tokyo Hospital Launches 'Baby Hatch' To Allow Parents To 'Drop' Infants They Cannot Look After

Many parents, for whatever reason -- be it shame or unwanted pregnancy, or even their financial inability to raise a child -- end up abandoning their newborns in random places, threatening the baby's health and life. This Japanese initiative, however, is trying to change the situation.

A hospital in Tokyo, Japan is doing something extraordinary and unconventional to tackle an issue that is rampant across the world -- that of infant abandonment. Many new parents, or single mothers, when they are not able to take care of the newborn baby, often end up abandoning them in random places, risking the child's health and their very life. But, this Japanese hospital is trying to tackle this issue. According to news reports, the hospital has launched -- what is known as -- a 'baby hatch' to become the city's first and the country's second such medical institution to allow parents to drop-off the infant/s they cannot look after in a 'safe', and 'anonymous' manner.

Known as 'Inochi no Basuketto', or the 'basket of life' in Japanese, was set up at the San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Kinshicho district earlier this week, to prevent infant abandonment and death. News reports suggest that the hospital will take in babies up to four weeks of age. The hospital allows parents to place the baby securely in a basket. The presence of motion sensors will ensure that hospital staff is alerted immediately and the baby is collected within 30 seconds.

The hospital intends to work closely with authorities to draft a plan for the well-being of the newborn, including considering foster homes. Head of San-ikukai Hospital Hitoshi Kato was quoted as saying at a press conference that the baby hatch will remain open 24 hours. It was launched as an 'emergency and final measure to avoid the abandonment of babies and child abuse deaths'.

"Such tragic incidents as newborn desertion and fatal child abuse continue to happen. I am going to make efforts to create a society where this project is no longer necessary," the Japan Times quoted him as saying. He also mentioned that many mothers and babies have 'nowhere to go', a problem that still exists and leads to 'abandonment of infants in baggage lockers, parks or beaches'.

Interestingly, in another empowering move, the hospital has also launched a 'confidential birth system' to prevent mothers with unwanted pregnancies from delivering alone or in 'risky situations'.

In India, too, the newborn abandonment problem persists, with cases of babies being left to die in public spaces, including parks, public restrooms, toilets, on the streets, in garbage yards and dumpsters continuing to make national news on a daily basis.

In Japan, the first baby hatch -- 'Konotori no Yurigago', or 'stork's cradle' -- was opened in 2007, in the Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto city.