NABARANGPUR:The superstitious practice of branding newborns to treat them of ailments like stomach pain and swelling refuses to end in the tribal-dominated district of Nabarangpur.
Yet another infant was branded with hot iron to cure her of stomach swelling. The 25-day-old girl child was admitted to District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) here on Wednesday evening with burn marks on her stomach and abdomen.
The child was born to Damburudhar Miduli and his wife of Khudiguda village under Papadahandi block. After a few days, the child suffered from indigestion and her stomach swelled. Instead of taking the child to hospital, Miduli took her to a Dishari (village quack) in nearby Gadavakotora village who branded the baby’s stomach with hot iron.
The incident came to light on Wednesday evening when health worker Minati Nag went to the village for a vaccination drive. On query, the parents told Nag that they had branded the infant in morning. Nag immediately rushed the child to DHH.
The baby is undergoing treatment in SNCU at DHH here and doctors treating her stated that the child’s condition is not serious and she is out of danger. Above 25 child branding cases have been reported from different areas in the district in the last six months of which three infants have died.