Mum gives baby to health worker who delivered her

A young woman who gave birth four months ago gave the baby girl to the male community health worker who delivered her.
Patrick Eddie, from Butibam village in Lae, had completed his studies at the Braun Community Health Workers’ School in Finschhafen, Morobe, and was posted to the Yagaum Lutheran Health Centre in Madang.
When helping the young Markham girl from Morobe deliver her baby, he was just doing his job.
After the delivery, the mother told Eddie that she could not care for the child.
“She just left the baby on the bed and left, without paying her hospital fees,” Eddie said.
“I picked up the innocent baby girl on the bed, took her home with me and named her.
“I looked after her for three months but needed someone to help me. So I got married to my colleague health worker.”
Eddie took the baby girl home to his parents in Butibam so that they can look after her, while he concentrates on his marriage and work.
Early pregnancies continue to be a concern for communities, according to Madang provincial council of women president Mary Kamang.
She said people frequenting her office were mostly parents of school girls.
“School girls are having early and unwanted pregnancies,” Kamang said.
Women advocator Joanne Dambui, who has been attending to such cases, said girls were made pregnant by their school mates. They then married men old enough to be their child’s fathers.
Dambui said 90 per cent of them had problems in their homes, where their parents were having extramarital relationships.
She said young girls left alone had needs, and if not supported by their parents, fell into the cash offer traps set by married men or “sugar daddies”.
“More families are breaking up,” Dambui said.
“We have been receiving too many of these reports lately and this is not good.”
She said children became victims of these break-ups and led to extra problems for the family such as unwanted pregnancies.
Dambui said schools should establish counselling centres to help students.