Tokyo Hospital Baby Hatch Accepts 20 Newborns in 1st Year

Tokyo, July 2 (Jiji Press)–The baby hatch at San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo has accepted 20 newborns during its first year of operation, it was learned Thursday. Seven of the babies were born under confidentiality, with only a few hospital workers knowing their mothers’ identities. The hospital became the second medical institution in Japan to open a baby hatch on March 31 last year. At a press conference on Thursday, Hitoshi Kato, head of the hospital, emphasized that there are women struggling in isolation. “Society must change to eliminate high-risk home births,” Kato said, calling for the establishment of a confidential birth system. According to San-ikukai Hospital and the Tokyo metropolitan government, 19 of the 20 newborns were brought to the hospital within 24 hours of birth, and 15 of them required medical treatment, including oxygen administration. As far as known, three mothers were under 20 years old, and 12 were in their 20s. Sixteen gave birth at home. Many of the mothers told the hospital that they had financial difficulties. One said that she had lost contact with her partner and would find it hard to raise her child alone. Twenty pregnant women visited San-ikukai Hospital for confidential childbirth, and seven of them gave birth under confidentiality after being examined at the hospital. After giving birth, two women indicated their intention to raise their child themselves. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]