Couple among three booked for risky home birth in Tamil Nadu

MAYILADUTHURAI: Days after a couple from Erukkur allegedly shunned medical advice and resorted to risky childbirth at their home, the Anaikaranchatram police booked a case against the duo and another person. 

According to sources, the woman who delivered a baby boy through C-section at a private nursing home in Sirkazhi four years ago turned down doctors’ advice to go for the same delivery procedure for their second child. 

With the help of her husband, the 32-year-old woman delivered the baby normally around 2 pm on Tuesday. Following news reports on the incident, the district administration and the health department initiated action to provide medical assistance for the mother and the child. However, the family allegedly refused to go to the hospital. The health workers waited for them at their house till the early hours of Thursday, sources said. 

A team of doctors and health workers accompanied by police personnel later tried to convince the couple in vain, sources said. The newborn’s 42-year-old father said, “We do not want any allopathic help or any vaccination.”

Deputy Director of Health Services Dr P Kumaragurubaran said, “The family is endangering the newborn’s life more as we have to administer vaccines. The newborn will not only be prone to diseases but will also become a carrier. People should not follow such dangerous precedents.”