Singapore—The country’s police force is now on a manhunt for an individual who handed over an unconscious six-month-old baby to a nurse at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on August 24, Saturday, and then immediately fled the scene.
The police are looking into the matter, which is now considered a case of suspected child abuse.
The hospital alerted the police about the unconscious baby left in their care at around 1:40 pm on August 24. The police, who had deployed two anti-riot vehicles immediately, arrived at the man’s car parked at Jalan Bukit Merah towards Lower Delta Road, but he had fled the scene on foot.
The police found suspected drug-related paraphernalia in the man’s vehicle.
The infant in question is said to be the child of the man’s 28-year-old girlfriend, who was subsequently arrested for suspected child abuse and drug-related offences.
However, the hunt for the man continues as the police are seeking him so that he can assist with investigations. However, the police have yet to release any information concerning the man’s physical appearance.
The infant was brought to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for medical treatment and care. There is no update yet on the condition of the infant’s health.
According to the Children and Young Persons Act, individuals who are convicted of the ill-treatment of a child under their care may be imprisoned and made to pay a fine. If the child under their care dies, the individual can pay as fine as much as S$20,000, or be sent to jail for a maximum of seven years, or both.
Last month, a baby who had been abandoned in a coffee plantation in Viet Nam and brought to Singapore for treatment died. Baby Trieu Hoai An, who had been called a ‘miracle baby’ because of her resilience despite tremendous odds, had received treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital for two months before she was brought home.
The child had been found abandoned in a tree, inside a plastic bag, suffering from an open head wound with maggots infesting around her head and body. Baby Trieu Hoai An was later diagnosed with hydranencephaly, a nervous system disorder, and was given less than a year to live.
However, while at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, she won the hearts of many because of her strong will to live, and her condition improved under the care of the doctors and nurses of the hospital.
Many were touched by the baby’s plight and gave donations toward her medical care, allowing her to be treated in Singapore from the time she was only 17 days old.
By June, she was flown back to the Hue Quang monastery in Vietnam, but succumbed to her various medical conditions and illnesses on July 12./ TISG