KOCHI: When ‘Ammathottil’ was launched by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare(KSCCW)
in 2002, its main purpose was to bring down the cries of babies who are usually abandoned in unhygienic conditions. For many babies, this served as a blessing in disguise. However, today, the ‘Ammathottil’ at the General Hospital, Ernakulam, stands abandoned in itself, sans tiny limbs and incessant cries.
Ammathottil is a room with an electronic cradle that sets off alarm bells alerting concerned authorities after the baby is placed in the crib and the door has closed, making it inaccessible for the person who has forsaken the baby. Armed with sensors, operating on the concept of springs, the presence of a baby also triggers music. Once placed, the automatic door closes completely after a few minutes, lest the parent changes his or her mind. Ernakulam received its Ammathottil and the first abandoned baby in the electronic cradle, in 2012, at the General Hospital.
“The Ammathottil had fallen prey to drunkards who often lie on the doorstep. Almost a year ago, someone entered the facility and dismantled the place. Since then, Ammathottil hasn’t been the same,” said Cyriac P J, RMO at the General Hospital, Ernakulam. Nevertheless, hospital authorities had complained to the KSCCW who then dispatched employees from the Sahya Valley Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a company which had been given the contract for the functioning and the Annual Maintenance Cost(AMC) of Ammathottil.
“They repair the cradle but within two weeks it begins to malfunction again,” Cyriac continued. “And now, they’ve stopped responding to our complaints,” Cyriac said.
The alarm that is designed to ring and warn hospital authorities about the arrival of the baby stops working at regular intervals. This is the pivotal concern at the Ernakulam Ammathottil. “Once a baby was abandoned on the steps of Ammathottil as the door and alarm refused to function owing to technical snags. Fortunately the security happened to see the baby during his walk and brought the matter to our notice. We conducted regular checks in the Ammathottil and found out the alarm glitch. The gates have been closed for safety,” Cyriac added.
However, Advocate Deepak S P, general secretary of the KSCCW said that the cradles will be upgraded in the coming months. “We have received recurring complaints from Ammathottils in various districts. When established, the crib functioned on minimal technology. Now it has become outdated and the parts are difficult to procure. After a discussion with the government and principal secretary, we’ve decided to modernise the facility by collaborating with the Kerala State Industrial Enterprise( KSIE),” Deepak said.
The pitiable state of affairs at Ammathottils across the state came to the forefront in 2005 when the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) passed an order to repair the cribs after the heartbreaking state of the facility at Pathanamthitta.
Nonetheless, the dire state of Ammathottils could be due to the dissolution of the Child Welfare Councils who were shouldered with the responsibility of monitoring the Ammathottils. The councils were disintegrated when the Juvenile Justice Act 2005(JJ Act) came into effect.