Even as the Government harps on its ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme to curb injustice meted out to baby girls right from the mother’s womb, another shocking incident has been reported from Kendrapada town, where a newborn girl was allegedly sold for paying delivery fee at a private clinic.
The poor parents sold their newborn at only Rs 7,500 for paying the medical expenses for delivery at the nursing home.
According to reports, on August 1, Nirakar Moharana of Righagarh village under Rajanagar block had taken her pregnant wife Gitanjali to the District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors referred the patient to be admitted to the local Surya Nursing Home for delivery. Gitanjali delivered a baby girl at the clinic. However, the clinic authorities demanded that the couple pay Rs 7,500 towards medical expenses.
When the poor couple expressed their helplessness to pay the medical charges, clinic staffs had arranged a buyer for selling the baby girl. Finally, the baby was sold at Rs 7,500 and the buyer took away the newborn with him paying cash of only Rs 500 to Niarakar and Rs 1,000 to Gitanjali. The couple returned to their village selling their newborn girl.
When the incidence came to the fore, the couple stated that they were bound to sell their baby due to pressure mounted on them by the clinic authorities to pay the delivery expenses. They confessed to the selling of their child out of poverty. As the couple already has two daughters, they expressed their inability to bear expenses of raising another girl.