RAYAGADA: Tension flared up in the district headquarters hospital (DHH) of Rayagada after family members of a newborn child accused the medical authorities of baby swapping on Tuesday. The alleged incident took place late on Monday night but came to light the next morning. The newborn’s kin accused the DHH authorities of handing over a dead girl child to them in place of a boy on Monday night. Sources said one Kabita Kumbhara of Kumbharasila village under Kashipur block was admitted to the DHH after she developed labour pain on Sunday.
Kabita delivered a baby on Monday but the condition of both the mother and her newborn remained critical. While the newborn was sent to Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the DHH, the mother was shifted to Koraput Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Late in the night, the hospital authorities handed over a dead girl child to Kabita’s family members. However, Kabita’s sister Nadita Kumbhara refused to accept the dead baby. She claimed that her sister delivered a baby boy. Hospital sources said when Kabita was admitted to the DHH, her hemoglobin count was very low. She was administered two units of blood before and one unit after delivery.
Kabita’s was a premature delivery and the weight of the newborn was only 1.10 gram. Sources said on Monday night, there were only two deliveries in the DHH and in both the cases, baby girls were born. Additional District Medical Officer Siba Prasad Padhi said apart from Kabita’s, no other delivery has taken place in the hospital since the last four hours. Hence, there is no question of any baby swapping. “We have informed the local police regarding the incident,” Padhi said. The body of the newborn baby girl has been preserved in morgue as Kabita’s family members are yet to accept it till reports last came in.