A safe haven scheme for unwanted children set up at an orphanage in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, has been closed due to an overwhelming number of arrivals.

Safe haven for unwanted kids shuts doors as demand soars.[Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

Since its creation on January 28, the scheme has received 262 infants and toddlers — 148 boys and 114 girls, two-thirds of which were under a year old, Chinanews quoted orphanage director Xu Jiu as saying.

All of the children admitted to the safe haven had some form of illness of deformity, Xu said, adding that the most common problems were cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and congenital heart disease.

They were all given medical care and the survival rate is 91 percent, he said.

The problem now is that the facility simply cannot cope with the number of youngsters being left, he said.

The orphanage is currently home to 1,121 children, though its official capacity is 1,000. A further 1,274 youngsters are living with foster families, Xu said.

The overcrowding is also heightening the risk of diseases spreading, he said, adding that the orphanage is planning to seek guidance on disease control from local authorities.

The safe haven will remain closed indefinitely, though the orphanage will continue to accept children brought in by police, he said.

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