Newborn girl found alive in Sharjah garbage bin

Sharjah: A newborn girl was found alive inside a garbage bin in a Sharjah suburb on Wednesday.

A resident found the infant in the morning and alerted the police, who then took it to Al Qassimi Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said the baby was only two days old.

Doctors said the baby may not have been in the garbage bin for a long time, but it showed signs of malnutrition.

Had it not been found by a passer-by, the baby would have died in the punishing summer heat, when noontime temperature hovers above 40 degrees Celcius.

The girl’s nationality was not immediately known. A paediatrician believes it was home-delivered, pointing to the improperly-cut umbilical cord. It was also not properly cleaned.

A paediatrician told reporters that tests done on the baby showed that she is fine, though more routine tests will be conducted to screen for infectious diseases.

The baby will then be moved to Sharjah Social Affairs where qualified staff will nurse her. The girl may be put up adoption, but only if an exhaustive search for the parents fails, said a hospital spokesperson.

Meanwhile, authorities have launched a search for the baby’s parents.

Unwed parents are seen behind a string of abandonments and infanticides to avoid prosecution for having children out-of-wedlock. Last year, police arrested parents of three babies left at a Sharjah mosque.