Cities close down overburdened 'baby hatches'

(ECNS) -- Some Chinese cities have put a halt to their "baby hatches" or shelters for abandoned infants, saying they cannot cope with the pressure from a rapid increase in numbers, with most children having illnesses or disabilities, Beijing News reports on Wednesday.

The first such island in Quzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, has been relocated to a welfare center for children. The city plans to pilot reform by placing limitations on the number of abandoned infants it would take in. The baby shelter will only accept orphans and abandoned local babies, the report stated, adding that the upgraded facility would also take on new responsibilities such as publicizing related policies and offering consultation services.

Since the country's first baby shelter was opened in Hebei province during June 2011, 32 such shelters have been set up under a national pilot program providing care for 1,400 abandoned infants as of the end of June 2014, the newspaper said.

However, cities including Guangzhou, Jinan and Xiamen have closed their overburdened baby safety islands for shortages in facilities, personnel and funding,it was added.

Baby hatches in some smaller or more remote cities like Changde, Tongren and Guiyang, have maintained operations with stable numbers of abandoned infants, however. Shelters in Shijiazhuang, Xi'an and Tianjin also remain in operation.

Experts said China should expand the abandoned-baby shelter program to ease the pressure on pilot cities and also step up a crackdown on the illegal abandonment of infants. Measures should also be taken to lower the rate of babies born with disabilities or critical illnesses, which they said is a fundamental solution to the problem.