A newborn baby left by his mother for hours unattended at at Nyakuron Primary Health Care Center in Juba/ Photo 03.05.2022

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of intending to abandon her newborn baby boy after leaving it unattended for six hours after giving birth in a hospital.

That’s according a midwife.

A medical report seen by Eye Radio indicated that Irene, 25, delivered Tuesday at around 11:30 pm at the Nyakuron Primary Health Care Center in Juba.

The health assessment report cites, the baby and his mother were in a good condition.

However, Irene Eye Radio identified her single name left the facility this morning at around 9am, claiming she was going to freshen up in the washroom.

But hours later, she was nowhere to be found, causing panic among the midwives.

Roda Luba, a Midwife at Nyakuron Primary Health Care Center in Juba narrated to Eye Radio what happened.

“This mother came yesterday [Monday], after delivery she slept with us here until morning. There were other people who escorted her, two women and a man. Two went and a woman left here till morning. After she delivered around midnight, she slept and we did not know what was happening.”

“She told me at around 9am that she wants to go to the toilet and she wants to exchange the pad and I said ok you go. From that time, I did not see her till this time.”

Luba said the lactating mother appeared this afternoon after they reported the matter to the police and has been arrested.

Over the weekend, Police in Lakes State announced the arrest of a woman who dumped her newly born baby boy in a pit latrine at Rumbek State Hospital.

The child was rescued alive the following morning and was cared for by the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek.

In September last year, Police in Nimule also arrested a 19-year-old mother for allegedly killing her newborn by throwing it into a pit latrine.

The incident happened barely a month after Police in Northern Bahr el Ghazal arrested a woman for beheading her baby in Aweil town.