4 hospitals abandon abandoned baby

MID-DAY (Sept 2001)

By Skimmy Gupta

A one-day-old boy found abandoned at the roadside by Rizvi Complex, Goregaon (East), on Wednesday was refused admission by four hospitals. The baby, who had a cleft palate, finally found shelter at Shraddhanand Ashram, Matunga, at 6 am yesterday after travelling for eight hours across the breadth of the city in the arms of a policeman.

The baby was found clutching a letter to the police and written by the mother. The letter said she couldn't take care of the child and asked them to admit him in a good shelter home.

This was how the infant got the runaround:
10.30 pm: Found by local people on roadside.
11 pm: Dindoshi police arrive and take custody of the baby.
12.30 am: Sub-Inspector takes baby to Bhagwati Hospital, Borivali; refused admission.
3 am: Baby taken to Wadia Hospital, Parel; refused admission.
4 am: Baby taken to KEM Hospital, Parel; refused admission.
5 am: Baby taken to Bal Sudhar Hospital, Dongri; refused admission.
6 am: Finally admitted to Shraddhanand Ashram, Matunga

Vinayak Chavan, police sub inspector, Dindoshi police station, who was repeatedly told that the hospital wouldn't admit the baby, said, " It's a pity. The hospitals were giving one reason after another. All we could do was travel throughout the night with the infant. None of the hospitals wanted to take the responsibility of operating on the child."
The doctor on duty, casualty, Bhagwati Hospital, said, " The baby had some abnormalities which could not be treated here. It's upper lip needed surgery. We do not have plastic surgeons. So the baby had to be shifted to Wadia Hospital for immediate lip surgery."

The doctor on duty, casualty, at Wadia Hospital had this to say, " How could we take the responsibility of operating on a one-day-old child. It could have been fatal. Then everybody would have blamed the doctor on duty."
The casualty medical officer of KEM Hospital, where the baby was then taken to, said, " The baby required admission in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which is always fully occupied. Such a small baby is prone to many infections and everybody knows municipal hospitals are home to a wide range of infections. The reason for refusal could be no vacancy or maybe the baby needed immediate admission."

This was the statement from Bal Sudhar Nursing Home, Dongri, " We cannot operate on a one-day-old baby as it's very dangerous. So we refused." The doctors at each of these hospitals refused to reveal their names.
The superintendent of Shraddhanand Ashram, where the baby is currently sheltered, said, " The infant reached to us at 6 am in the morning, his weight was less than normal. Apart from the cleft palate, he is normal and fine. But the proper condition can be known only after a complete medical check-up. The doctor couldn't do it today, because when he arrived in the afternoon, the police had taken him to court."

Navnath Konkane, senior police inspector, Dindoshi police station, said, " It was sheer harassment of our officers by the hospitals for reasons best known to them. Par police ko apni duty toh karni padegi kaise bhi."

Inspector Chavan who had carried the boy throughout the night says his job is not over. " I will try my best to locate the parents. They are criminals for abandoning the newborn. I will ensure that the baby is taken care of in the ashram."