PALAKKAD : A premature baby born to a tribal couple deep inside the forest in Thalikakal Vandazhi of Mangalam dam died at the Thrissur medical college on Saturday.
The couple, Kannan and Sujatha, had moved inside the forests from their home in the colony due to the non-availability of water.
Sujatha, 29 had given birth to a baby girl inside the forest,about four kilometres away from the tribal colony. She had been admitted to the Thrissur medical college on February 17. However, she left the hospital the next day on February 18 complaining that she was not getting proper attention, and returned to her colony. Later, both of them moved further inside the forest into a place near the river. Her relatives, who reached the new abode after she developed pain, assisted in childbirth.
Subsequently, Kannan and Sujatha returned with the child to the colony on Friday. It was after the relatives informed the health authorities that the mother and her newborn were moved to the Alathur taluk hospital and from there to the Thrissur medical college.
The health authorities said that it was a premature birth as the woman had given birth during the sixth month of her pregnancy and the child weighed only 700 grams. The authorities added that Sujatha had undergone abortions earlier.
The hospital authorities said that malnourishment of the mother and premature delivery is likely to be one of the reasons for the death of the child. Source said that water availability is short in the Thalikakalu adivasi colony and is likely to intensify as summer peaks.
The District Deputy Medical Officer, the officer currently in charge of the district, said
that an inquiry will be conducted by the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) officer into the issue.