A distressing incident unfolded at Rumbek State Hospital, where a mother reportedly dumped her newborn baby girl into a pit latrine and subsequently fled the premises.
The incident occurred on Friday night, around 10-11 PM, leaving the local authorities and police forces on a frantic search for the mother responsible.
According to Major Elijah Mabor Makuac, the police spokesperson in Lakes State, the mother’s actions have sparked a pursuit aimed at holding her accountable for the attempted murder of her own child.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Makuac said, “What happened this morning was the baby child was found being dumped in a pit latrine in Rumbek State hospital by the mother who was admitted to deliver in Rumbek State hospital. One of the workers working in the State hospital immediately reported the issue to the staff and the baby was rescued from the pit latrine.”
Makuac further explained that the newborn was born in the hospital’s maternity ward. While the medical staff attended to other patients, the mother took advantage of the situation and abandoned her baby in the pit latrine. The spokesperson added, “Up to now, the mother is at large and the security forces and the police are still pursuing the mother and to bring her book… it is attempted murder.”
Doctor Terran Madit Terran, the medical director in charge of Rumbek State Hospital, confirmed the incident and detailed the baby’s rescue. “We were having an incident this morning in which a mother delivered a baby girl weighing 2.6kg in Rumbek State hospital and then she threw the baby into a pit latrine and she escaped,” Terran stated. He emphasized that this is the third such incident at the hospital within the past three years, suggesting underlying family issues as a contributing factor.
Terran urged parents to be vigilant and attentive to the needs of their children, particularly those in their adolescent and teenage years. He called upon the police to take stringent measures against such incidents to set an example for the community. “Tough measures are needed to be taken otherwise our community and society will be spoiled because they need to be an example, they need to investigate and if they get the real mother, the real family process needs to be taken so that it can be an example to others not to attempt that,” he urged.