Hospital staff takes baby steps to solve abandoned newborn mystery

Picture courtesy of Pattaya News

By Bob Scott

A newborn baby boy, thought to be only 4-5 days old, has been discovered abandoned at Pattaya Patthamakun Hospital. Hospital staff are now pulling out all the stops to care for the baby while local officials embark on a mission to uncover the identity of the mystery mother.

The discovery was made on January 17 when Bang Lamung district chief Phatphat Sritanyanon and his wife, Primrita Sritanyanon, the leader of Bang Lamung Red Cross Association, made a heartfelt visit to the hospital.

The couple came bearing gifts of baby essentials, meeting with the hospital’s big boss, Doctor Wichai Thanasophon, to see how they could help.

The couple was whisked up to the third floor of the Pattayathorn Building, where the little boy was being looked after.

Dr Wichai reported that the baby, weighing in at a healthy 2,886 grammes, had been heartlessly left outside the delivery room.

In a bizarre twist, CCTV picked up a woman abandoning the child but didn’t clarify whether she’d actually given birth there. The fact that the baby’s umbilical cord had a hospital clamp has everyone raising their eyebrows.

Bang Lamung Police Station officers are now on the case, working to track down the woman responsible. Until she’s found, it’s business as usual for the hospital, which continues to lovingly care for the baby.

Chief Phatphat was quick to point out that if the mother is tracked down, any decision about reuniting her with the child will be strictly down to the legal officials.

In the meantime, the newborn will be in the capable hands of the Bang Lamung Red Cross Association, along with the outfit’s medical and social work experts, dedicated to ensuring his well-being for the next six to seven months.

The little boy is yet to officially receive a name, but for now, he’s known as Nong Ohm, borrowing the nickname of the district chief himself. It’s a fitting name that captures both the heartache and hope surrounding this tiny tot’s tumultuous start in life.