A baby removed by her mother from the Pediatrics ward of Gaia Hospital on Wednesday was handed over this afternoon at the GNR station in Carvalhos, Vila Nova de Gaia, a source from the Guarda reported.
The Local Health Unit of Gaia and Espinho stated that the child is now back in the hospital, where she was taken from yesterday. “She has arrived and is well,” the source specified.
The incident was first reported on Wednesday and later confirmed, with a hospital source explaining that the girl was taken after the mother, authorized for visits, learned that her daughter was to be placed with another family.
The mother bypassed security measures, prompting an internal investigation.
On Thursday, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Local Health Unit of Gaia/Espinho, Luís da Cruz Matos, stated he is “assessing everything that happened” regarding the case of the mother removing the baby from the ward.
“We will assess everything, including the bracelet system, to understand how it was possible for her to be taken and we will conduct all the tests we can,” Luís da Cruz Matos assured reporters.
The electronic bracelet was found intact in the trash can of the bathroom in the room where the child was staying.
“We must learn from this to ensure it does not happen again. We will not allow this to recur and will extract all lessons from this incident,” he emphasized.
Luís da Cruz Matos reiterated that the hospital is reviewing everything that occurred and how the mother was able to remove the baby’s bracelet.
The Lusa news agency questioned the Health Activities Inspectorate about the opening of an inquiry into this case and is awaiting a response.
[News updated at 20:45]
