India News | Medical Board to Oversee Treatment of Newborn Abandoned by Jharkhand Couple
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A medical board was constituted by the Kerala government on Saturday to oversee the treatment of a 23-day-old baby girl, who was abandoned in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a private hospital in Kochi by her parents from Jharkhand.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 22 (PTI) A medical board was constituted by the Kerala government on Saturday to oversee the treatment of a 23-day-old baby girl, who was abandoned in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a private hospital in Kochi by her parents from Jharkhand.
State Health Minister Veena George, in a statement, said that a special medical board will monitor the infant's treatment. The baby has been moved from the private hospital to Ernakulam General Hospital.
The minister stated that the baby, currently being treated in the Special Newborn Care Unit, remains on oxygen support, weighs only one kilogram, and has a small haemorrhage on her head.
She added that the infant's oral antibiotic treatment is ongoing and that she will require intensive care for about a month.
The baby is being provided breast milk from the breast milk bank, she noted.
The minister further stated that the expenses for the infant's treatment at the private hospital will be covered by the Children's Fund of the Women and Child Development Department.
George also mentioned that if the parents return, the baby will be handed over to them. However, if they no longer wish to take responsibility, the Child Welfare Committee will take over her care.
Meanwhile, the District Child Protection Officer of the Women and Child Development Department is visiting the baby daily and taking necessary measures, the minister said.
The baby's parents, a couple from Jharkhand, were working at a fish farm in Kottayam.
While travelling home for the delivery, the mother developed health complications on a train.
She was taken to the nearest hospital, where she gave birth to the baby girl.
Since the baby weighed less than one kilogram, she was shifted to the NICU of a private hospital for specialised care.
Later, the parents went missing, and hospital authorities have been unable to contact them.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)