When a newborn's cries go unheard

MADURAI: Within two days of a female baby found abandoned near Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district and rescued later, a newborn male infant was found dead in a bush in the same district on Saturday. The police, who are searching for the people who abandoned the baby, are yet to ascertain whether the baby was thrown when it was alive or after it died.
People find dumping the easy way to get rid of unwanted babies. Not only female babies, often healthy male babies too are abandoned. They are dumped mostly because they are born out of wedlock. Many such instances have been reported in Madurai and surrounding districts. A healthy male baby was found dumped at a garbage bin near Teppakulam last month. A newborn female infant was found abandoned in Melur in February this year. However, those who are responsible for the act are seldom punished.
Often it is hard for the police to trace the mother, who after giving birth clandestinely slip into her routine. There are many small private hospitals, which readily help these mothers for a tidy sum. Says an official from the social defence department: "According to the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act 2015, hospitals are responsible for reporting deliveries within 24 hours. If the rules are violated, the hospital has to face criminal action."
A recent incident of the police and the child protection unit thwarting an attempt to sell an infant led to the busting of a racket run by a gang that included a private hospital doctor. Dr R Shanthi, the doctor, and her husband Rajasekaran, who were part of the hospital management, were arrested. The doctor had handed over the child left by the mother to an NGO, which attempted to sell the baby for Rs 3 lakh. "Finding the mother was no easy task as the hospital had not recorded information like address and contact details properly," said a police officer who investigated the case.
Officials from the social defense department say that while action was taken against the doctor, there was no action against the hospital located in Mudakathan where the incident took place.
The authorities have to periodically check all private hospitals and make sure that deliveries are carried out with all information properly registered. Officials from the directorate of public health say they have been inspecting all hospitals periodically and making sure all that they fall in line.