KRISHNAGIRI: Timely intervention of health officials saved a 15-year-old pregnant girl on Tuesday, but her 31-week foetus died in the womb. It was removed Government Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital.
According to sources, Rekha (name changed), a school drop out near Kelamangalam got married at the age of 14. The issue came to light in the last week of November when Kelamangalam block medical Officer (BMO) Dr C Rajesh Kumar found out that she was six months pregnant during a check up and informed Thalli block health department.
Rajesh Kumar told TNIE, “The girl was anaemic and we sent her to Kelamangalam Upgraded Primary Health Centre and then to Hosur government district headquarters hospital for blood transfusion.”
Thally BMO A Sacharitha told TNIE, “Village health nurse Amrita Sheela traced Rekha on December 23 and took her to to Kakkadhasam PHC. She was referred to Government Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital but went missing on December 27. We managed to trace her on December 30. The next day, we took her to Kakkadhasam PHC. There, doctors found the foetal heart rate missing and referred her to GKMCH for Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). A 2 kg male baby was expelled on Wednesday.”
She added, “If we had reached out to Rekha a bit late, she would have suffered septic shock which would have led to Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), resulting in death.” Rekha is recovering well.
When contacted, District Child Protection Officer D Saravanan said a Pocso case will be registered at Denkanikottai AWPS.
It may be recalled that three more child marriages were reported in Rekha’s village and one of them died after the delivery.