By Express News Service
NABARANGPUR: Niladri Naik and wife Hema have been offered a ray of hope for saving the life of their baby boy who is suffering from a rare congenital anomaly, Anencephaly, where the brain is outside the skull. The baby, born to the couple from Umuri village under Tentulikhunti village of the district, will receive specialised treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.
The plight of the parents in arranging treatment for their baby was highlighted by TNIE following which the district administration stepped in to help them. District Collector Ajit Mishra released Rs 22,000 from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the family and also made arrangements for shifting the baby and the parents to Cuttack. The district administration has also requested the State Government to bear the cost of treatment of the baby from Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) as the parents are not financially sound, District Child Protection Officer Suresh Patnaik said.
The baby has been fighting for life at Nabarangpur District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). He has not only an apparent brain protruding from the head in place of the skull but also the abnormal growth of eyes, nose, and ears. Doctors had given slim chances of his survival and advised specialised treatment for the rare disorder.
Anencephaly occurs due to a lack of folic acid (vitamin B9) in the mother before and during pregnancy. The condition is detected by a normal ultrasound (USG) test. The anomaly had gone undetected during pregnancy despite the mother undergoing ante-natal care ensured for women by the State Government. Presently, the focus is on the baby’s treatment which can be complex, the officials said.
