The circumstances that led to a mother taking her newly born baby from Faro hospital’s neonatal area has drawn condemnation from the police and local child care centre, but some surprisingly wonderful comments from the normally outspoken and combative head of the Algarve’s hospitals, Dr Pedro Nunes.
The married 28-year-old mother, Alexandra Patrício, has a drug habit and was rightly worried that the state would take her baby from her soon after giving birth. She took the baby from the hospital two hours after it was born and went missing six days ago.
Yesterday the mother returned to Faro with the baby which was whisked off for tests. Dr Nunes said that the baby will remain in the intensive care unit as a precaution, adding later that "the baby is fine and the mother treated him very well."
"In the eyes of the hospital she is not a criminal, she is sick. For us it was not a kidnapping, but we had to alert the police to get her to come back and that's what she has done. We also made a point of saying that the child is well," said Dr Nunes.
The mother spent Thursday night in jail in Odemira and was up before the judge at Faro court today to discuss charges of risking the baby’s life, punishable by imprisonment of between two and five years.
An official of the Judicial Police said that the woman has addiction problems and will be charged for endangering the life of another person.
At a press conference held due the wide media and public interest, paediatrician Maria Alfaro at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit said that "the mother was very sorry. She handed in the baby in a clean condition and it apparently is well.”
Dr Nunes said the woman is "not seen as a criminal, but as someone who wanted to protect the child, although not in the best way."
For Nunes, it is necessary to explore the reasons why a mother fears the modus operandi of Social Security so much so that she takes her own baby away. About a month ago the woman lost custody of her eldest son, a six years old.
That child has been at the Refúgio Aboim Ascensão care facility in Faro ever since.
The director has a different take on the whole affair.
Luís Villas-Boas, the director of the children’s home, commented that the mother should never have the care of a child, any child, as she is irresponsible and is a criminal.
The surprisingly relaxed Dr Nunes seems un-fussed that the hospital did not follow the rules that state that all newly borns should be issued with an electronic bracelet.
The Inspectorate of Health will look at the case but for the mother it may be too late as by taking her child at a time when it could have needed urgent medical care due to her drug addiction she already may have prejudiced her own case.
