There seems to be no end to branding infants with red hot iron and heated metal bangle in tribal dominated Nabarangpur district.
In the third case in this month, a 24-day-old baby from Ghodakhunta village under Dabugam block was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital here on Wednesday in a critical condition following complication after branding by the quack with pieces of heated metal bangles.
The injured infant girl is undergoing treatment at the special newborn care unit of the hospital. Her condition is stable and according to paediatrician Dharani Ranjan Satpathy, all efforts are being made to save her life.
In another incident, a 33-day- old baby from Pujariguda under Kosagumuda block was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital here on February 23 in a critical condition following complications after branding.
The parents of the child, Padlam Harijan and laxmi Harijan, said the baby’s grandfather had called a quack to their house after the infant stopped taking food.
In an attempt to cure here ailment, she was branded on several parts of her body by him. “The child is suffering from pneumonia for which she is facing problems in breathing. Her condition has deteriorated due to the branding. She is under observation at the SNCU,” said Dr Satpathy at the Nabarangpur hospital.
On February 22, an eight-month-old baby of Madhubhatta village under Raighar block, died due to superstitious treatment. Father of the boy Rama Gond applied poisonous cashew sap on his body to cure his ailment. As a result, the baby died during treatment at the Nabarangpur District Headquarters Hospital. The minor was suffering from chest congestion. After being branded on Friday night, his condition deteriorated. The baby was admitted to Umerkote Community Health Centre (CHC) in a critical condition first and then shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital.
Similarly, a 15-day- old girl of Goramba village under Jharigam block died at a hospital on January 24 after she was branded with hot objects to cure her of breathing problems in the past eight weeks. Many children in the district have been admitted to different hospitals in a serious condition after being branded to cure their ailments. Some of them have died.
The incidents have highlighted the fact that despite arrest of five ‘desari’ or tribal witchdoctors in the district, who were involved in torture of newborns and infants, similar incidents continue to take place in the area. During the past three months, several cases of torture on newborns and infants by tribal witchdoctors due to superstitious belief have come to the fore in the district.
In the meanwhile, the administration would soon launch a panchayat-level awareness programme from February 28 in Nabarangpur district to educate these traditional ‘desaris’ on the harmful effects of branding infants. “We have collected the names of most of the traditional healers and will educate them along with healthcare and anganwadi workers,” said Nabarangpur Collector Rashmita Panda.