Behind the special cradles
At the Neonatal Department of Children's Hospital 2, there are babies who have not yet had a complete name but have to start their lives with long days in the hospital, the 5-month-old baby lying in bed number 83 is one of them. Because the family has not come to pick him up, the baby is temporarily classified as an abandoned child.
To be easier to call and distinguish from other pediatric patients in the department, doctors and nurses affectionately called him "baby number 83".
Not far away is a 4-month-old patient who was hospitalized in a state of severe heart failure. After intensive treatment, the baby's health has improved. However, what worries doctors is not only the condition but also the absence of the family.
Many times calling the phone number left by relatives when admitted to the hospital, doctors only received prolonged calls.
No one returned to pick up the baby. Finally, the hospital was forced to complete the case file of the abandoned child to transfer it to functional agencies for continued care and sponsorship.
Joining hands to protect abandoned children from hospitals to shelters
In recent years, at the Neonatal Department of Children's Hospital 2, doctors not only treat premature babies with serious diseases but also silently care for many abandoned babies from the very first days of birth.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Nhi - Head of Neonatal Department, Children's Hospital 2 - said that after the COVID-19 epidemic period, the number of abandoned children admitted to the department at times reached 10-12 babies per year. In 2025 alone, it decreased to about 6 cases, and from the beginning of 2026 to now, about 4-5 babies have been recorded.
According to Dr. Nhi, most abandoned children have serious medical conditions or are premature. Many babies have congenital heart disease, neurological defects, chromosomal abnormalities or serious postpartum complications such as respiratory failure, sepsis, meningitis, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
There are babies who are only a few months old but have to be in intensive care for a long time, still need oxygen support. Each baby is in a different situation, but the common point is that they all need special care" - Dr. Nhi shared.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Nhi, the causes of children being abandoned are quite diverse. There are cases where families are too difficult, and there are cases where parents are not able to pursue long-term treatment because their children are too seriously ill or at high risk of complications.
When receiving children without full papers, the hospital will coordinate with relevant units to complete the dossier according to regulations. However, in terms of expertise, the children are still treated like any other pediatric patient and are covered by health insurance.
Some babies only need a short period of treatment to be eligible for discharge, but still have to stay at the hospital for 5-6 months, even more than a year because they have not completed the admission procedures" - Dr. Nhi said.
During that time, nurses, caregivers and doctors almost became relatives of the children. From breastfeeding, lullaby, learning to flip, learning to crawl to holding them, every day they were cared for wholeheartedly.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi - representative of the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City Region 1, in fact, there are many children who are abandoned or living in social protection facilities but have not been issued birth certificates due to lack of birth certificates, not being able to identify parents or encountering administrative procedures.
Previously, when child protection centers brought children to functional agencies in Ho Chi Minh City to get birth certificates, many cases were refused because they did not have enough dossiers according to regulations. Currently, the procuracy will stand out to propose to local authorities to support completing procedures for issuing birth certificates for children" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi shared.
According to a representative of the People's Procuracy of Region 1, the unit can directly go to sponsorship facilities to verify information or receive feedback from people who are raising children. After the inspection process, the procuracy will propose to functional agencies to issue birth certificates to ensure the rights of children.
At Children's Hospital 2, the unit also coordinated to receive information related to abandoned children during treatment.
When detecting cases of families leaving after taking children to the hospital, the procuracy will coordinate to verify and assist in completing legal procedures to ensure the rights of children.
