SHARJAH // A 10-day-old girl was found abandoned yesterday outside a villa in Heera.
The child - the fifth to be abandoned in the emirate this year - was taken to Al Qassimi Hospital. Police are searching for the infant's parents.
"The baby's condition is good at present," said Naema Khamisi Al Nakhi, director of social services at the hospital. "We have done a number of medical tests on her since she was brought to us."
The baby will remain in the hospital for a few days before being referred to a children's home care centre.
"The case is being handled with Al Heera police station as the parents are believed to be in the area," said a police spokesman.
Abandoned babies can be adopted only by Emirati families. They receive nationality status and documentation.
"There had earlier been instances where families simply adopted children without informing authorities such as the police, leading to problems in issuing proper documentation later in life," said Fatima Mousa, manager of the Abandoned Children's Unit of the Sharjah Social Care Homes Complex.
The unit was founded in 2006 to establish a more co-ordinated approach to screening prospective foster parents.
The team also follows up on children's care and development after they have been placed with new families.
