CWC to receive baby girl ‘Nidhi’ abandoned by Jharkhand native parents at Kochi

Kochi: In a hopeful turn of events, the seven-month-old baby girl, who was abandoned by her Jharkhand native parents at a private hospital ICU in the city in Jan, will be handed over to the child welfare committee (CWC) on Thursday. The infant was undergoing treatment at General Hospital for the past one-and-a-half months.
Prior to handing over the child, health and women and child development minister Veena George named the baby ‘Nidhi', on Wednesday.
On Jan 29, the child's parents, who were working at a fish farm in Kottayam, were travelling by train to Jharkhand for delivery. As they reached Ernakulam, the woman experienced labour pain. She was admitted to General Hospital, where the baby girl was born. Weighing less than 1kg the baby, who only had 28-week-old growth, was soon shifted to the NICU of a private hospital for specialised care. Later, the mother was discharged from General Hospital and the parents soon went missing. Upon learning about this, the minister gave instructions to the General Hospital authorities to take over the baby's care and treatment.
The baby was then shifted to General Hospital for expert care. As per the decision of the health department director, the expenses incurred at the private hospital will be covered by the women's and child development department's Bal Nidhi fund.
"We cared for the baby and her treatment was coordinated by a medical board. She was given oxygen for about a week and received two blood transfusions due to anaemia. Breast milk from the hospital's milk bank was provided to the child. Now her condition is satisfying. She only requires multi-vitamins and iron drops. The baby is now 37 weeks old and weighs two-and-a-half kg. She is in a condition to drink milk like normal babies and will be handed over to the child welfare committee," a General Hospital official said.