THE reality of policy and procedure has shattered Windhoek resident Daklan Gowases’ hopes of adopting a newborn baby she reportedly picked up next to a dumpster in Khomasdal last week.
Gowases, who said she stumbled upon the day-old child while on her way to visiting a friend last Monday, is being refused access to the baby she had hoped to take home and raise.A dismayed Gowases also said she had been subjected to a number of tests this past week, as the authorities wanted to ensure that she is not in fact the biological mother of the child.’I’m really not happy with the change in attitude that I’ve been subjected to this week,’ she said upon enquiry, adding that she was made to feel like ‘a culprit’ for helping the child.Medical staff at the hospital said yesterday that the tests Gowases has undergone, including a sonar, are just part of normal procedure in such cases.One source said staff in the maternity ward have been admonished for allowing the media in on Tuesday without approval from ‘higher-ups’ in the hospital hierarchy.Gowases will not automatically be granted custody of the baby, as her name will be added to an existing waiting list of potential guardians.’It’s a careful process,’ the Medical Superintendent at the hospital, Dr Rheinhard Gariseb, said yesterday.’There is quite an extensive process to be followed involving the social workers. They must first investigate the circumstances surrounding the (potential) new parents, look at their social conditions, and make recommendations. It’s really a careful process. We don’t just want to release a child into the care of someone who you’re not sure of,’ he said.Hospital staff spoken to last week said the baby had been born prematurely at seven months, and weighed about 1,5 kg when taken in.Gowases said she had found the child lying on the ground wrapped in a blanket at a dumpster near Khomasdal’s Star Hotel.A dog’s barking apparently led her to the discovery.Dr Gariseb said yesterday that the baby remains in fine health.denver@namibian.com.na
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