Ministry of Health acted as impartial spectator: Father MADINA: Security authorities took more than three hours to arrive at the scene after a newborn baby boy was kidnapped from a Madina hospital on Sunday, a delay that made it possible for the kidnapper to flee the area, said Badr Salem Al-Muzaini, the baby's father. The woman who took his son from the Maternity and Children's Hospital impersonated a ward obstetric supervisor and spoke to his wife before carrying out her plan, Al-Muzaini told Okaz/Saudi Gazette with a tear rolling down each cheek. Al- Muzaini, who named the boy Anas and pointed out that his mother wanted to name him Ahmad, expressed considerable concern and frustration about the incident. He pleaded to the kidnapper, man or woman, to resort to sound reason and fear Allah as this crime has “deprived the boy's parents of the light of their eyes.” Al- Muzaini, who ruled out the possibility that one of his relatives might have been involved, said he is extremely anxious to know what happened to his son. “I want to know the truth because I die every hour,” he said. “But if we knew about his fate, that he was alive or dead, we would die once and bury our grief in our ribs. Going missing indefinitely would make us die all through.” He said moral support by the media has boosted his morale and helped fuel the hope that the family will reunite. Al- Muzaini said he reported the incident in a cable to the Ministry of Interior and demanded formation of a special committee to probe the incident, find the responsible parties and punish them. He added that he sent similar cables to the Minister of Health and the Madina Emirate. Ministry of Health acts as a spectator Al- Muzaini, a teacher, accused the Ministry of Health of negligence and recklessness. “I hold the Minister of Health responsible for my son's kidnapping. I haven't received any response from the minister, except the care shown by the Madina Health Department,” he said. “And all of this happened a time when I have received calls from sympathizers from the US and Morocco,” he added. Security was futile, footage was unclear Al- Muzaini bitterly criticized the hospital's security guards and security system, which he described as “bad”. He said “guards in malls are trained and vigilant, so nobody can steal a piece of clothing, unlike their counterparts in the chaotic hospital.” “Everyone can step into the wards and go out without being noticed,” he said. “Surveillance cameras should have been installed in the parking lot to monitor the cars that enter and leave,” he said. Anguished and disgusted Al-Muzaini added that if the guards were professionally trained and they had professional systems, they would have caught the kidnapper on the spot. “This is reflected in the unclear footage of the kidnapper and in the fact that there are only a few cameras and strategic areas of the hospital are not monitored.” Killing heedlessness Retelling the tragic story with a broken heart, Al-Muzaini said, “My wife underwent a Cesarean section at the time determined by the consultant, 9:00 a.m. Sunday, and then she was moved to the ward.” At dawn time, she took a nap for 25 to 35 minutes and the kidnapper seized this opportunity and took the baby from his incubator. The released footage showed that the kidnaper had entered the room four times without being noticed. “If this says anything, it just says that there is total chaos, disorganization, and mismanagement at the hospital,” he added. Al-Muzaini said there is great suspicion that the operation was carried out by an overweight dark-skinned woman who was seen wandering restlessly in the delivery wards and who disappeared immediately after the incident. All the nurses confirmed that there was a woman in the ward who matched the description, he noted. On three days, he slept for three hours Al-Muzaini said he and his wife are passing through a painful experience that has caused great distress for him and his wife and stripped them of the delight of having a baby boy. He said that in three days, he has slept only for three days and his wife is better after delivery, but she is suffering from insomnia. He said doctors in the hospital had carried DNA tests for 30 babies, but none of them matched the mother‘s blood type. Al-Muzaini said he has met with Dr Ali Al-Muhammadi, the hospital's director, and Maj. Gen. Awad Al-Sarhani, chief of Madina Police, who offered their condolences and asked some questions. Col. Muhsen Al-Raddadi, spokesman of the Madina Police Department, said that the search continues and the investigation is progressing. A detailed police statement on the incident will be resleased soon, he said.
