Street baby dies in ill-equipped hospital

Experts have called for changes to the policy which stipulates abandoned babies must be treated in only one hospital in the capital, after a baby boy found on a street died because of alleged unsatisfactory treatment at Hepingli Hospital, Dongcheng district.

At around 2 pm last Wednesday, a newborn baby boy was found freezing in a cardboard box on a street in Zhongguancun, Haidian district. After a passer-by called for a 999 ambulance, the baby was sent to Haidian Hospital, only one kilometer away.

Medics at Haidian Hospital suggested the baby be transferred because it does not have a specialist ventilator for newborn babies, but a police officer from Zhongguancun Dajie police station ordered the ambulance driver to go to Hepingli Hospital, which also does not have such equipment. The baby died at 8 pm in Hepingli Hospital because of a hemorrhage of the lungs, according to the Beijing Times.

Zi Xiangdong, Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) spokesman, said he has no comment on the police order to transfer the baby to an ill-equipped hospital.

"We're investigating and are trying to find the mother who abandoned the baby," he said.

Wang Xiao'e, media officer of Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau, said the bureau is not responsible until the baby is transferred to an orphanage.

"If anyone finds an abandoned baby, they need to contact the PSB first, who will investigate and try to check the baby's identity. They will decide how to deal with the case, such as whether to take the baby to a hospital," said Wang.

Hepingli Hospital said that matters related to abandoned babies are confidential, but confirmed that it is the only hospital in Beijing to take care of abandoned babies, according to an anonymous media officer.

An official with the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, who asked to remain anonymous, said the reason policy makers did not designate Beijing Children's Hospital to receive abandoned children was out of concern that it already receives 8,000 to 10,000 patients a day.

Shi Changkui, a charity expert with the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said the rule of one single designated hospital for treatment of abandoned babies is unreasonable and needs to be changed.

"This is because in most cases, when those babies are found by passers-by, they are in critical condition. The baby can't get emergency treatment from the nearest hospital or a hospital which has the necessary equipment," he said.

"The life of the baby should be put first, instead of a government rule," he said.

Wan Daqiang, a lawyer from Beijing Shangquan Law Firm who specializes in protection of minors, said police are not liable for the death of the baby, but also suggests a change to the designated hospital rule.

"There is no law or regulation to guide the police's behavior in such cases. In this case, the police did strive to have the baby treated quickly within the government's rules," he said.

"But the rule itself needs to be improved. The government should choose a better hospital so the babies can get the best possible aid," he said.

The mother has committed the crime of abandonment and if found, could be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment or detention or be put under surveillance, Wan said.

In the last 10 years, the special ward for abandoned babies at Hepingli Hospital has received more than 10,000 abandoned babies. The hospital takes abandoned babies aged under three, the Beijing Youth Daily reported in August 2012.

A 1-year-old boy was left on a train from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, to Beijing West Railway Station Thursday and was then transferred to Hepingli Hospital for a health check.

The mother has not yet been found, Zeng Ying, head of the train crew, said Sunday.