Children abandoned, orphaned or taken away from their parents – newborns, instead of being placed in foster care, often remain in hospitals, under the care of doctors. They wait for months until a new home or a temporary family is found for them.
A small hospital room has been home to Patrycja for months. The girl is not yet a year old, she is healthy, but she has been living in the neonatal ward for 10 months. This is the sixth such case in the Hospital in Środa Wielkopolska.
– These children live with us, the staff takes care of the family – says Paweł Dopierała, president of the hospital in Środa Wielkopolska.
Children who are abandoned, orphaned or taken away from their parents – instead of being placed in foster care, newborns often remain within hospital walls, under the care of doctors. They wait for months to find a new home or a temporary family for them.
“There is no term in their dictionary mom, there is no dad”
– Another person puts you to bed, another person takes you out of bed. There is no term “mom” in their dictionary, nor “dad”, says Joanna Bylińska from the Neonatology Department of the Hospital in Środa Wielkopolska.
There are hundreds of cases similar to Patricia's throughout the country. – Data from the Ministry of Health show that last year in hospitals, parents waived their parental rights to 637 newborns – informs Aleksandra Marciniak from the Gajusz Foundation.
– It's not a matter of days, it's a matter of weeks or even months. They must stay in neonatal wards because it is not possible to transfer them to foster care – says Prof. Tomasz Szczapa, president of the Polish Neonatal Society.
Doctors point to the causes of the problem, including lengthy court actions, for example regarding the termination of parental rights. There is also a shortage of places in foster families throughout the country. Family support centers primarily look for new homes for children who are still with their parents and who are at risk of, for example, violence.
Will Elon Musk's company revolutionize medicine? “Even people blind from birth will be able to see for the first time.”Marek Nowicki/Fakty TVN
There is a shortage of foster families
– We must look at the issue of providing children with care and upbringing as a priority for those who are in family homes, who are deprived of proper care, whose needs are unmet – points out Arleta Kołodziej from the Municipal Family Support Center in Poznań.
There is a shortage of foster families, among other things, due to the low salaries offered by the ministry.
– Because they are legally defined as the lowest national wage, (…) which means that it is not a very lucrative proposition to change your professional life to take care of your children – says Aleksandra Marciniak.
Children who spend the first months of their lives in hospital are exposed to a wide range of threats. – The lack of one caregiver can be a deep trauma for many years – notes Joanna Bylińska.
SEE ALSO: 15-year-old Igor was referred for an urgent visit to a cardiologist. Available date – in two years
It also means unnecessary contact with viruses and bacteria in the ward. – In a place such as a hospital ward, these children will not be exposed to appropriate stimuli that are necessary for these children to develop properly – comments Prof. Tomasz Szczapa.
The costs of caring for children for whom there is no foster family are borne by the hospital. These funds are not reimbursed by the National Health Fund. Hospitals also pay attention to the problem of occupied beds.
– It may happen that in a given tertiary reference department it will not be possible to admit patients from outside because the beds are chronically occupied – says Prof. Tomasz Szczapa.
Doctors are calling for simplification of procedures and speeding up the legal process. According to experts, more foster families are needed.
Main photo source: TVN24