Raising Meleka, a tribal inhabitant of Karubai village of Rayagada block, has alleged that his newborn baby was admitted in a private nursing home on March 18 at Rayagada town run by Dr Nabakishore Kundu instead of in a local Government hospital.
The baby was carried to a clinic by his aunt, a ward member and some villagers, besides ANM Prabhati Jena and local ASHA. The clinic’s staff told the baby’s aunt to go back to her village. Notably, the baby’s mother died after giving birth to the child.
“When there is a nutritional centre and Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) in the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) and a special child ward, the reason of admitting the baby in a private nursing home is best known to the ANM. The nexus between the private clinics and Government health staff is obvious,” alleged Rabindra Patakhandal, a senior RTI activist of the region.
After a week, Raising and his relatives arrived at Nav Jivan Nursing Home managed by Dr Kundu’s wife named Rubirani Kundu and asked for the baby; but they were said to deposit Rs 37,500. As Raising is a very poor and lives hand to mouth, he told his inability to pay. Then Raising and the villagers demanded the nursing home staff to see the baby to which they were denied. Finally they were told that the baby died and they cremated him the next day. They could not inform the father as his phone number and whereabouts were not there, they told.
“Why did the nursing home cremate the baby without informing the concerned authorities? Why did not someone from the clinic go to Karubai village, which is hardly 9-10 km to inform its father? Not knowing the whereabouts of baby’s father and the phone numbers of
ASHA, ANM or AWW or police and therefore, not informing is certainly a
hoax. All these persons, who hushed up the matter and made a mess of
it must be taken to task,” demanded Rasmiranjan Dora, a senior scribe of the district.Meanwhile, a committee constituting the Child Welfare Committee member, Legal Officer and District Child Protection Officer has inquired into the matter. A joint inquiry report by them will to be given to district Collector for further action. In the mean time, the inquiry team also has filed an FIR in Rayagada police station.
“This could be just another case of child trafficking and a tip of the ice berg. Voices of poor tribal persons like Raising are increasingly becoming meek before the justice rendering authorities. Hardly any monitoring of these clinics under the Clinical Establishment Act is
done,” opined by Shyam Das, an activist working for Dibyang rights in Rayagada.