An infant suffering from respiratory failure has been left alone in hospital at birth after he was abandoned by his mother.

 Huy was abandoned after birth

22 days after Nguyen Hoang Huy was born, he remains at the pediatrics department of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. He is being taken care of by the nurses and has never been held by his mother.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, deputy head of pediatrics department said that when they received Huy, on September 18, he already suffered from respiratory failure. After being on a respirator for five days, Huy's health became stable but the hospital could no longer find his mother.

 Huy may be the result of an unwanted pregnancy

According to the data from the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Huy's mother is 17-year-old Tran Thi Huyen, from Phu Tho Province. When Huyen went to hospital with a friend, she did not know how long she had been pregnant. When the nurse came to inform Huyen that her son must be treated in hospital because of respiratory failure, Huyen was already gone.

Nurse Ha Thi Kim Loan said, "He only weighted 2 kg at birth but he has become more healthy now without support of medicines or equipment. When he is awake, he is able to play alone but he sniffles a lot during sleep, like he is crying."

 Huy will be sent to the centre for social protection

Doctors and nurses all hope that Huy's mother might come back. Whenever they see a young girl standing in front of the hospital and looking around, the nurses go out and ask if she is Huy's mother.

The nurses treat Huy like their own child, trying their best to console him however they can. "Other families have also shown generosity and supported Huy with meals and clothes," Loan said.

"Huy does not have a dangerous illness. We only used the respirator for five days so the cost of treatment is around VND20 million (USD958). We hope his mother will come back. We tried everything we can to find her, but to no avail. We'll keep him for two or three more weeks and then we have to send him to the centre for social protection because hospital is not the ideal environment for children." Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nam said.

If you can help him, please make donation through:

1. Code 1192: Nguyen Hoang Huy in the Department of Pediatrics, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi.