BARIPADA: In a disturbing incident, the body of a newborn child was allegedly abandoned to decompose for three days after his death at the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Government Medical College and Hospital (PRM MCH) here. Worse, when his father reached out after getting the information, the Mahaprayan vehicle staff reportedly refused to carry the body unless paid.
According to the father of the child Sankar Naik of Ghagra village in Gaon Amarda gram panchayat within Rasgovindpur police limits, he had brought his wife Chumki to the hospital for delivery on Monday. She gave birth to a baby boy who was immediately admitted to the ICU due to some complications.
Naik said he was asked to go home with his wife on the same day as the child would stay in ICU for some days. They left for their home the same day and on Thursday, got a call from the hospital informing them of the child’s death.
“I had contacted the hospital a day back and was told that the baby is improving,” Naik said. He rushed to the medical college and got to know that the baby had died on Monday. To his utter shock, he found the baby’s body abandoned and in a decomposed state. With none to complain, Naik asked the Mahaprayan vehicle staff to carry the body to their village.
“The driver and the helper demanded money from me though I told them the service is free of cost as per rule. But they did not relent,” alleged Naik. After waiting for hours, as the incident started creating a hue and cry, at 10.30 pm, the Mahaprayan staff carried the family along with the body free of cost. Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj assured to look into the matter.