The abduction of a day-old baby from a Quebec hospital has raised questions about hospitals' security measures, according to an article on the News Montreal website.
While an in-hospital abduction by a stranger is extremely rare, safety measures are in place at hospitals in an effort to protect vulnerable newborns, the article said.
Nurses and doctors wear name tags with photos, while cameras monitor the maternity ward, along with hospital entrance and exit doors. There's also a special code in place in the event that a baby goes missing.
In this case of the missing Quebec newborn — who was recovered — police had a clear image of the suspect, thanks to hospital security cameras and a description of vehicle.
Quebec's Health Minister Gaetan Barrette said future security measures at hospitals could include placing electronic tracking bracelets on newborns.
“That's a possibility. This is something that we'll address and analyze if we can do that. This is obviously something quite simple and it does the job,” he said.
He is also asking hospitals to review their security protocols in an effort to ensure nothing like this happens again.
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