Baby swapping in Odisha’s Burla hosp: 3 SNCU staff transferred

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Burla, Jun 18:

Three staff of Sick New Born Care Unit (SNCU) of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Odisha’s Burla have been transferred over the baby girl swapping incident at the hospital last month. The transferred staff are two nurses and one attendant.

Informing about transfer of the trio, VIMSAR director Sunamali Bag said action will be taken on them after submission of final report of the committee probing the incident. “Footprints of pregnant women and infants will be kept in order to avoid such situations in future,” Bag said.

It may be recalled that Gagan Bihari Patra of Naktideula area in Sambalpur district had brought his baby daughter to VIMSAR on May 21 for treatment. However, he was told by hospital authorities that his baby died while undergoing treatment and was handed over a dead girl child. Gagan refused to accept the deceased infant alleging that his child has been swapped. He claimed that the child in bed number 17 of the Sick New Born Care Unit (SNCU) was his baby. On the other hand, the parents of the child undergoing treatment on bed number 17 claimed that it was their child.

Gagan had filed a complaint at the Burla Police outpost alleging that his baby was swapped with another one in the hospital. Gagan and his wife didn’t accept that the dead baby girl was theirs and demanded a DNA test.

The blood samples of both the women and their babies were sent to State Forensic Lab in Bhubaneswar. After confirmation of the identity of the child through DNA test, it was established that the alive baby belongs to Gagan and his wife and the deceased child was of the other couple.

Eventually, the baby girl was handed over to her parents in the presence of police and district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on June 9.