When newborns are stolen from hospital

It is great news that the newborn -one of a twin -stolen from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) has been rescued from the baby lifters a week later. When the mother had to leave the hospital with one of the baby sons for her Mohammadpur slum, little did she expect of getting back her missing one. But providence had it that there would be a happy reunion in the family, courtesy of course of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Sure enough, the baby lifters were clever and moved from one place to another within Mirpur, Tongi and Gazipur but the law enforcement agency was smarter. It deserves kudos for the successful rescue operation.

However, this is not for the first time that baby lifting from the gynaecology or maternity ward of the country's largest hospital has occurred. Several such cases were reported in the past and not all the infants could be rescued from the organised gang behind the outrageous crime. The DMCH earned notoriety on several counts, muscle-flexing by the fourth class employees beyond all limits and baby lifting from time to time being chief among them. When the association of the employees at that level holds the administration a hostage, baby lifting cannot be ruled out.

Thank God, the close-circuit camera the authorities installed provided the cue to this horrendous crime committed by a woman. But alone she cannot do it. Most likely an organised gang is active and the woman is just a linchpin. Now that the woman has been arrested, the entire gang should be nabbed and given exemplary punishment so that they or anyone else never harbour the idea of committing the same crime again. After all, they trade in such babies or use them for still more vile purposes.

It surely is unthinkable that infants can be lifted from any country's largest healthcare facility. Well human error can at times be responsible for exchange of babies born almost at the same time. But stealing baby from the maternity ward is an altogether different proposition. The person at the helm of the hospital affairs has never taken the responsibility of the missing security and shown the slightest inclination to step down. Why? The labour room in a hospital is where mothers come for safe delivery. It is here a newborn first sees the light of this world. It is here or in the maternity ward or cabin that a mother derives heavenly pleasure when she first sees her baby. But if that ward is insecure for babies, should the person at the top remain in his/her position?

The fact is people holding responsible positions in this country are more habituated to playing lackeys than doing the duties in earnest. If the administration is wobbly, it is because the moral parameter is missing or people unfit for the job have been positioned to obey vested interest groups' bidding. Fourth class employs know from close quarters about the moral turpitudes or other flaws of their superiors. So the chain of command breaks down and the unthinkable happen in such forms of criminality as child lifting. To stem the rot, there is a need for first reforming character of all who are playing the supervisory roles from top to bottom.