Jodhpur: A newborn girl abandoned by her parents, who are fighting with another couple to claim a boy, was finally breastfed for the first time since her birth in Ummed government hospital here.
The girl, who was mistakenly exchanged with the boy by the hospital staff on March 25, has not been accepted by any of the two couples and is currently under the supervision of the nursery unit of the hospital.
Due to the dispute, the girl was deprived of breastfeeding and the hospital administration also did not allow one of the mothers to breastfeed the infant in the absence of an undertaking that the girl belongs to them. After the High Court and State Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of the matter yesterday, the hospital administration allowed one of the mothers to breastfeed the baby.
"Poonam Kanwar, one of the mothers, was allowed last night to breastfeed the baby girl. It was the baby`s first breastfeeding since her birth," Dr Narendra Changani, Superintendent of Ummed Government Hospital, said.
"The couple (Poonam Kanwar and Chain Singh) did not accept the girl and said that they will go for a DNA test. On Sunday, Chain Singh said that they were ready to take care of the girl and want to take her home. He was taking two stands so I asked him for a written undertaking to avoid any further dispute in future," Changani said. On the other hand, Chain Singh said that he offered the hospital administration that his wife was ready to breastfeed the girl on humanitarian ground and it did not mean that they were ready to accept the girl and take her home before the DNA test report.
"My wife offered breastfeeding in view of the baby`s health. It is not true that I asked the hospital administration that I am ready to take the baby home. Before the DNA test report, we cannot take a decision," he said.
After delivery on March 25, the hospital staff gave the boy to Poonam Kanwar wife of Chain Singh but after around two hours, they said that the boy was mistakenly handed over to her and took him back. The staffers then gave her the girl saying she was born to her.
The boy was handed over the Reshmi Devi, wife of Sagar Ram, after which Chain Singh and his family members created a ruckus and claimed that the boy belongs to them and rejected the girl.
A committee looked into the matter and prima-facie found that the boy belongs to Reshmi and the girl belongs to Poonam Kanwar.
Matching of blood samples also made it clear that the girl belonged to Poonam. However, they were not satisfied so the hospital administration decided to go in for a DNA test and its report is awaited.
PTI