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28 March 2024

2-day-old baby found in garbage container

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

A newborn of unknown nationality was found in a garbage bin in Sharjah on Wednesday.

“We think the baby is only two days old,” said Dr. Safya Al Khajeh , medical director and consultant paediatrician at Al Qassimi Hospital where the baby has been admitted.

“We believe the baby was born at home, because the umbilical cord was not properly cut and it was not clean. The baby was even a bit smelly,” Dr Safya said.

A passer-by called Sharjah Police after he found the baby in a garbage container on Wednesday. Police handed over the newborn to the hospital.

“The sugar level of the baby was okay, and it is doing well. It looks like the baby had not been in the waste container for a long time. It was very lucky to be found,” said Dr Safya.

She said a medical investigation will be carried out to screen the baby for infectious diseases. This is normal in such cases, she said. After that, the police will start the search for baby’s parents.

Meanwhile, the baby will be transferred to Sharjah Social Affairs where it will be nursed. “If there is no possibility of finding its parents, the baby may be adopted by somebody, but that is after extensive investigation,” said Dr Safya.

The baby is not the first to be found and handed over to Al Qassimi Hospital, she added. The newborn’s gender is not known to Emirates 24/7 at this point.