A girl, suspected to be a minor, has kept a team of medical and revenue officials on their toes, after she went absconding from the ICU of Government Maternity Hospital at Tirupati on Monday.
Admitted there five days ago, the girl, married and six months pregnant, underwent “medical termination of pregnancy”, after she was reportedly diagnosed with a serious heart ailment “pericardial effusion” and severe anaemia. The medical team which attended to her was getting ready for blood transfusion on Monday, when she disappeared from the hospital.
After a day-long search, the girl was found hiding at home in tribal village, and was rushed back to Tirupati hospital on Tuesday. The teenager lives with her husband, parents and in-laws in a thatched hut. The family ekes out a living working in mango orchards.
Five days ago, the girl was brought to the primary health centre at Narayanavanam mandal headquarters, with symptoms of giddiness. After preliminary tests, she was found to be pregnant and suffering from severe anaemia. She was referred to the Community Health Centre at Puttur, from where she was later shifted to the Government Maternity Hospital at Tirupati. Advanced diagnosis revealed that she was suffering from severe cardiac ailment.
Three days ago, she underwent medical termination of pregnancy as the growth of the six-month foetus was stunted.
Resistance
The hospital doctors contacted Ravi Raju at Narayanavanam. A team of ASHA workers and paramedical staff went to the girl’s house, only to face stiff resistance from the family members. The girl’s parents reportedly hid her in a nearby field.
On Tuesday, Dr. Ravi Raju along with the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (Narayanavanam) Ganga Bhavani and paramedical staff rushed to the colony, once again to face resistance from the family members. The officials threatened the family members that if they did not budge; the police would be called in. The neighbours too supported the medical officer. Fearing police involvement, the parents agreed to send the girl back to hospital.
The Medical Officer, finding the parents penniless, offered them some financial assistance. An ambulance was summoned in a few minutes, thus bringing curtains on the issue.
Dr. Ravi Raju said: “It gives our team immense happiness to send the girl back to hospital. After blood transfusion, the girl needs to undergo complicated treatment for her heart ailment. Any delay will only endanger her life.”