Overburdened baby hatches close down

A nurse feeds a seven-day-old boy abandoned by his parents at a baby hatch in this 2014 file photo. [Photo/CFP]

Many parents left their disabled or sick kids at shelters in cities in developed areas hoping that their children will receive better medical treatment, which put more pressure on baby hatches there, said Tong Xiaojun, the head of the Children's Research Institute of China.

"If 'safe havens' can be set up in more places across the country, it can relieve the pressure off those in large cities," said Tong.

Other experts believed that a tougher attitude against irresponsible abandoning is the key to the sustainable development of baby hatches.

Asked whether the baby hatch encourages parents to evade their duty, Gao Huajun, a professor of public welfare with Beijing Normal University, said: "every policy has its positive side and negative side. We should not close the baby hatch because there are negative consequences."

Stricter screening should be carried out to prevent parents capable of raising their kids from avoiding their responsibility, said Yang Jianhua, an expert on social issues.

See more pictures about "safe haven", please click 42 kids dumped in just five days at 'safe haven'