Delhi hospital saves life of 2-day-old abandoned girl child

By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], October 8 : A two-day-old girl child was found abandoned in a garbage dump in Harijan Basti of Rajokri village in the national capital and is currently being treated at a private hospital in Vasant Kunj.
The newborn was handed over to the hospital authorities by the local police.
The child was discovered by two people who were passing by and alerted the police. The baby is currently in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj in a serious condition and is being assessed by doctors for any additional or underlying medical conditions.
A team of doctors led by Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and HOD, Pediatrics, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj immediately intervened and took the baby into their care.
On preliminary examination, it appeared that the baby was born less than 24-48 hours ago, was looking blue and her body weight was only two kilograms, lower than the usual weight for a newborn.
Dr Nagpal said, "The baby was drenched due to rain, extremely weak and in a hypothermic state with the umbilical cord attached. She appeared to be a preterm baby and her body temperature was 33 degrees Celsius, lower than the normal 36.4 degrees Celsius. Our team resuscitated her and wrapped her in warm clothing after cleaning her. She was then shifted to the neonatal intensive care unit."
Dr Nagpal further said that the girl child is responding to treatment.
"At present, we are monitoring the oxygen saturation level, correcting her blood sugar, and have stabilized her. We are conducting a few tests to know whether she has any additional medical conditions or if there is any brain damage. The baby is responding to treatment which is a good sign. Fortis Vasant Kunj and its doctors are committed to try our best to save the child." Dr Nagpal added.
The people who discovered the abandoned child said that they will be happy to adopt the child, if possible, post her recovery.
"We were going for our morning walk and as we passed a garbage dump, we discovered a baby lying with almost no clothes. We immediately informed the local police, who brought the newborn to Fortis Vasant Kunj. We will be happy to adopt the child, if possible, post her recovery," the local residents said.
Despite efforts by the government and other stakeholders, as per the latest data available, India has 29.6 million orphaned and abandoned children as per UNICEF.
Delhi topped the list among states with the highest number of infants abandoned in any city in India between 2015-2020 according to the National Crime Records Bureau 2020 report.
Among other states, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat registered a high number of abandoned babies, foeticide and infanticides combined within the same period. The key factors may be primarily poverty, archaic societal norms, lack of support services and childcare homes for single mothers and postpartum depression.