A family in Salaga is anxiously awaiting answers after a baby girl reportedly disappeared from the Salaga Municipal Hospital just hours after she was delivered, triggering a police investigation and the detention of a nurse who was on duty at the time.
The incident, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, has sparked concern among relatives of the newborn, who insist that the detained nurse should remain in custody until the missing child is found.
According to Balik Majik Ebenezer, brother of the baby’s father, Kofi Simon, the child’s mother, Priscilla, was admitted to the hospital around 3:00 a.m. while in labour. He said she later gave birth to a baby girl between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Ebenezer said the family was initially informed that the delivery had gone smoothly and that both mother and child were in good condition. Suspicion, however, began to grow when relatives repeatedly sought permission to see the newborn but were allegedly denied access.
“According to the husband, they said the woman delivered successfully and it was a baby girl. But on several attempts to go and have a look at the baby, the nurses did not allow them,” he said.
The situation became more alarming, he explained, when Priscilla was transferred from the maternity unit to a ward without the baby.
“When they brought the lady to the ward, the child was not there. The family became worried and asked her to go back to the maternity ward to check on the baby. When she went there, the child was nowhere to be found,” Ebenezer recounted.
Family members then began making inquiries about the baby’s whereabouts. According to Ebenezer, a nurse they approached initially believed the infant had been taken out by the mother for breastfeeding.
“The nurse said she thought the mother had come out with the child to breastfeed, so she was not aware that the baby was missing. She later checked and also confirmed that the child was not there,” he said.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Salaga Police Station, leading to the detention of the nurse who was reportedly on duty when the baby went missing.
Ebenezer further claimed that efforts were later made by some colleagues of the nurse to secure her release on bail, a move the family strongly opposed.
“They want to bail their colleague, but the child has still not been found. We have not heard anything about the child up to now. We believe that until we see our child, the nurse should not be granted bail,” he stated.
Police have confirmed that investigations into the disappearance are ongoing.
According to Ebenezer, officers informed the family that measures had been put in place to track the missing baby, including monitoring possible exit routes through which the child could have been taken. As of the time of filing this report, however, no significant breakthrough had been announced.
Providing details of what happened immediately after the delivery, Ebenezer said the mother was able to briefly see the newborn.
“According to the mother, when she delivered, they showed the child to her and she saw that it was a baby girl,” he said.
He alleged that after that moment, the baby was taken away and never brought back to the mother. He also claimed that other close relatives, including the child’s father and grandmother, were repeatedly prevented from seeing the newborn.
“The husband’s mother wanted to see the child, but they refused. Kofi himself also wanted to see the baby, but he was not allowed,” he alleged.
