Saddened by mothers abandoning their newborns that usually resulted in the death of the vulnerable innocents, a local non-governmental organization comes up with the idea of setting up a baby hatch.

Run by Orphan Care, the first baby hatch in the country established a few weeks ago, allows parents who are unable to raise their children to leave their unwanted babies anonymously.

The organization's president Adnan Mohd Tahir told Xinhua in a recent interview that Orphan Care had come up with the idea several years ago but he only managed to convince local authorities years after that such system would reduce deaths of abandoned babies.

"The idea can be controversial. First, we decided to discuss with some religious people. Then we approached the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. We have been talking to the ministry for the past three years but the idea was turned down.

"This time, they gave us the green light," said Adnan.

Every year, about 100 babies are abandoned in Malaysia, many of whom were left to die as their parents are too ashamed to hand them over for adoption.

The hatch is located at a baby adoption center and has a door in the outside wall that opens to reveal a soft bed that is insulated.

Once the door is closed, sensors in the bed will alert care givers who come and take away the abandoned babies.

The center will then act as a transit point for the babies before they are given out for adoption.

Adnan said that the Malaysian public was divided over the set up of the baby hatch where many felt that it would promote premarital sex, an action viewed as a taboo in Malaysia.

"However, we think it is not true. If people are thinking of premarital sex, they will not be dumping the babies. It is a long process between premarital sex and baby dumping," said Adnan.

Adnan said that the center was proven beneficial for family longing for children, and seeing hope in these families had inspired him to run the program.

He also said that he planned to open more hatches around the country, but the challenge was that the system of about 15,000 ringgit (4,600 US dollars) was too costly.

"We would like this facility to be used and would not like another case of abandoned babies because the person did not make an effort to put the baby here."

"At the same time, we hope to have a wider coverage as this place is too secluded. So we look at corporate sponsors who would like to put up baby hatches in other parts of Kuala Lumpur," said Adnan.

As there were 300 couples on the center's waiting list for child adoption, Adnan urged pregnant single mothers who intends to abandon their babies to leave their offspring at the center instead.