Biometric Identification of the Newborns to Prevent Switched Baby in the Hospital a “Legal Identity”

In Indonesia, newborn identification is still done conventionally using wrist bands and foot stamps. The problem is that these wristbands or stamps only work for the duration of the newborn's stay in the hospital, during which time they can be removed or altered. The purpose of this article is to propose a new biometric identification method for newborns using their palmprints as a Government Regulation to prevent switched babies. Palmprints are a lucrative biometric since they provide identification features at a variety of image resolutions. This paper is a literature review on the use of biometric identification in newborns to improve patient safety. The results of this review show that the use of biometric identification will eliminate parents’ worries about babies being switched and provide strong evidence that each mother will leave the hospital with her own child. In Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health, there is no article that clearly regulates the prevention and resolution of switched baby. However, the law provides an opportunity for further rules regarding infants and children to be regulated in Government Regulations. Therefore, for justice and legal certainty, it is necessary to regulate the prevention and resolution of switched babies by identifying newborns using palmprints which will be formulated in a Government Regulation as an implementing regulation of the Health Law.