JOHOR BARU: The Social Welfare Department (JKM) is searching for the biological mother of a 4-week-old baby boy with Down syndrome and kidney complications, who was abandoned at Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) here.
Johor Baru JKM officer Norhafizah Ahmad said the baby boy, identified as Athar Jazmi, is currently dependent on a ventilator.
Buletin TV3 reported that the last time the baby's biological mother visited him was on Aug 27 before she disappeared.
Norhafizah said the 42-year-old foreign woman is believed to have fled due to fear after her attempts to falsify her identity documents were exposed.
It is believed that the woman, originally from the Philippines, had tried to use a Mykad belonging to another person to register her child at the hospital.
"We received a referral from HSI's Medical Social Work Department on Aug 27, after it was discovered that the baby's biological mother had failed to register his birth and had used someone else's identification documents to obtain treatment.
"The baby suffers from chronic health issues, including kidney problems, breathing difficulties and Down syndrome.
"Initial investigations by the hospital revealed that the biological mother also has four other children, whose births were also not registered.
"The hospital had lodged a report on Aug 27," she said in a statement today.
Norhafizah added that the baby's biological mother and her family members were missing when police visited their residence at Flat Tasek, Bandar Seri Alam, on Aug 28.
She said JKM also conducted an investigation at the home on Aug 29 and found the house uninhabited.
"To date, the biological mother has not been reachable, and JKM is continuing efforts to locate the woman as the baby's birth needs to be registered," she said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Johor Baru district JKM officer Jamalluddin Hassan at 07-223 2606 or 07-223 2607.