Bhopal: While it intrigues most of us as to how come parents can abandon their new born baby what is even more intriguing is the extent of our knowledge about the people who rescue such infants from the fate of certain death. What else could be a more compelling example of the human side of the police and government hospital staff which have rescued 401 infants in last 26 months?
SP of Dial-100 Amit Saxena informed that since April 2016 people started making calls to the control room about the abandoned children. “Whereas the police work is to control crime, but people are increasingly showing their trust on the Dial-100 for social causes. For instance when someone a indentifies any abandoned infant they end up calling us invariably”, he added.
While the people have little idea about what happens after they make such a call. Police and government hospital staff have rescued most of the infants which that were abandoned in the bushes, garbage, roadside, in drains and other places around the state as the true upholders of humanity.
Thanks to their human intervention these infants are now breathing under the vigil of government care givers. What is again intriguing is that among the abandoned the equal number of the girl and boys are thrown by their parents.
“The fast response vehicles (FRV) reaches rescues the infant from the abandonment and admits it to the nearby government hospitals,” added Saxena. The chief medical and health officer of Raisen Dr Sashi Thakur informed that such infants are cared for in the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU).
Saxena said, “With utmost delight I can say that the most heartening aspect about the whole heartbreaking face of abandonment infants is that the doctors and the staff handles the child as their own and the child becomes the ‘darling’ of the whole the staff”.
Thakur said “These children are given special care, whole nursing staff turns to care the child and sometimes they even express their desire to request the child, but it can be done only after observing due legalities.” She added “As soon as an infant is brought to the hospital we inform the women and child development department supervisor to report the matter to the higher officials.”
Citing the reason of the abandoned she informed that “Usually an infant is abandoned for three reasons, first being child born out of illegitimate relationships, second infants birthed by rape victims-who are too late for the abortion and last being parents who abandon an infant just because they do not want a girl child”.
The chairman of the child rights protection commission Dr Raghvendra Sharma said “We have suggested the government to established a cradle right at the doorsteps of : hospitals, orphanages and other public facilities-which can be used by persons who want to disown their children. Bhopal, Indore, Chhindawara, Satna Rewa, Sagar are amongst the districts where most infants are abandoned.