The entrance to the building of the Philippine Department of Health. — INQUIRER/ANN File Photo

MANILA — The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it had alerted all of its hospitals to be more vigilant this holiday season after a newborn infant was abducted in Marikina City on December 26, followed by an attempted kidnapping of another baby in Manila on December 29.

During a joint press conference with the Philippine National Police, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa shared that an infant was abducted from Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (ARMMC) in Marikina City by a woman who was wearing scrubs and a face mask.

The incident occurred between 11pm on December 26 and early morning on December 27, ARMMC director Imelda Mateo noted.

According to Marikina Police chief Colonel Jenny Tecson, the suspect was able to get hold of the infant by claiming that she was going to be conducting newborn testing on the child. The mother then handed over her baby to the suspect, along with some of her medical records.

Tecson said Marikina police later traced the woman’s whereabouts to Pasig City using footage from surrounding CCTV cameras, and the baby was retrieved late December 29.

Following the incident in Marikina, a similar case occurred in Tondo, Manila, on Monday. Another woman had attempted to kidnap a newborn baby around 1am at Tondo Medical Center (TMC) but was caught by a nurse before she could leave the hospital.

TMC Medical Center Chief Dr Maria Isabelita Estrella said the suspect handed the child back to the mother before trying to escape, but was apprehended by the hospital’s security guard.

Both suspects are now under police custody and will be facing charges for the kidnapping and attempted kidnapping.

Meanwhile, all DOH hospitals across the country have been alerted regarding the recent incidents.

Both Estrella and Mateo acknowledged the need for stricter implementation of hospital policies, such as conducting proper head count of staff and endorsement to those taking the next shift, to prevent another infant from being abducted. 

Mateo said lapses might have occurred because “only a few staff were on duty that time due to the holiday. Just the skeletal force. So, everyone was overworked.”

She added, “This should not be an excuse. Even if there are only a few of you, you will really have to do and implement the strict policies and processes.”

According to her, ARMMC will be stricter when it comes to checking and validating the identities of the people entering and leaving its emergency room, which tends to be full of patients.

Estrella noted that in the case of TMC, the suspect was able to go inside the hospital by blending in with the surge of people entering the emergency room.

“As you know, in an emergency room, when there is an emergency, and they have a patient, there is a rush of people [coming and going]. After that, that’s only when the guards will become strict on who can go out… and who can enter,” Estrella said.

According to Tecson, both women had claimed that they recently experienced a miscarriage as their reason for committing the crime.

She noted that there have also been other cases of infant abduction where the suspects had intended to sell the babies. — INQUIRER/ANN