Eight infants were left during fiscal 2011 in the baby hatch facility for unwanted newborns at a Kumamoto hospital, the fewest since the service was started in May 2007, the Kumamoto Municipal Government said Tuesday.
The figure, down from 18 in fiscal 2010, brought the total number of babies and infants left at Jikei Hospital to 83. The service was introduced to enable parents who can't raise children for financial or other reasons to leave their babies anonymously.
The hospital attributed the decrease to its consultation services for parents considering leaving their babies, such as round-the-clock telephone counseling.