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NEW SUNDAY TIMES

Foolproof method to Avert baby mix-ups ;',, i'.

Dr lunaidi lsmail showing the electronic tags on the arm of a mother and the ankle ol her infant at the Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala LumPur.

By Annie Freeda Cruez [email protected]

The alarm will also go offwhen an infant is takcn out ol the scourity or monitored zonc, alerting the nurses

KUALA LLMPUR: ln what may bc a Ihst in the country, aprivate hospital here is using a radio frcquency tagging system to prevent infant a.bductions andbaby mir-ups in iis wards. Babics born at the Prince Court Medical Cenfic will wear clcctrortic anklels and the mothers will get a

and lhose manning the hospital's se-

matchingwlistband. Thc system was introduccd on Doc

l6 and so far,60 ba-bies and mothcrs have bcen tagged.

Thc hospital's busincss dcvelopment and corporate affairs dtcctor, Dr Junaidi Ismail, said the systcm would keep mothcrs closc to thcir infanls and an alarm would be triggered ifa nursc accidentally handcd over a balv to a\,!TonglDother.

cuity monitoringroom. "lf cither a mother or an infant nceds to be taken to the operaling theatre or a clinic away fiom each other. thc alarrn will be swikihed oll but thcir movr)ments will bc mon-

"This means staffandfamily members cirn move inlants fieely within the secure area, but any atiempt to remove the infant from the unit will

alarm." Dr Junaidi said all system farsactions were password-controlled $'ith time and date logged into the acJivate the

mir-ups had been reported anriuall] in the United States.

The number has declined as mort hospitals used electronic tags on in. iants and mothers.

Health Minister Datuk Seri liov Tiong laj said the ministry was usinl the technology, but only to track hos

databasr: r.r,hich had a pormancnt record of admissions and dischargo

pitalcquiUncnt.

itored. DrJunaidisaid.

ofinfanls.

He said this system would operatc as a "security guard" for cach inftnt a^s it accuratelv matchcd mother l{)

Soo liang Ooi, :|2, of laman Ttn Dr Ismail. who delivcred her srx:ord baby a1 I'CMC, said she was impressed with the secwity measures fornothers and newborns. "l don't havc to wolry about baby mix-ups or my newborn bcing abductod. I feel all hospitals should havo this inlant protfition systonr so {hat

worth billions ol riDggit in hospit.Ll natiolwide and w{) need to tag then to plev0nt urautllorised pcople lron

inlalt, proenicd slvilching and rcportod real-tinle h)cati0ns. "lt also tracks and locates infants and safc6'uards against theb unauthoriscd rcnovtrllrom tho ward. "Evolv infalt ha-s a uniquc identily tag on the anklc and exit poilts ar'(! elerlronicallv ttonitured.

mothljrs necd not worry." In tho past, mr)re than 20.000 baby

"\4h have equipmcrt aDd

assetr

taking or moving them." Iiow said *re ministry bad not de cidcd on using thc slstem li)r moth

cls and newborns in govcrnmen hospitals becauso it was oxpensiv

and the currelrl, socurity syst(xn lva tight ollough. "l am hap'py l.hat PCNI| hd^s lnpl(xrentcd it and wilnt to so bow olloctive il is in the long rull."