Yet another infant branded in Odisha, hospitalized

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Malkangiri, Sep 18:

In yet another shocking instance of branding infants with hot iron by faith healers to cure them of their ailments in tribal dominated districts of Odisha, a two-month-old infant boy was rushed to the district headquarters hospital here after his condition deteriorated on being branded by a local faith healer.

The condition of the two-month-old baby from Chitrangapalli under Kalimela block who was admitted to the district headquarters hospital is stated to be stable now, hospital authorities said.

“They had branded the child just below the chest. He is very sick. We got him admitted to our hospital at around 11 AM. There is good chance of him improving.  I would request all not to brand children. I would say the man who is branding children with hot iron should first brand himself on his own tummy then get a feeling of how painful it is,” said Dr. Santosh Kumar Mishra, pediatrician district headquarters hospital, Malkangiri.

The infant who was reportedly suffering from stomach ache was taken to a disari (faith healer) by his parents who branded him with hot iron, reports said.

As the burn wounds of the infant did not heal his parents first took him to the government hospital at Kalimela.

Subsequently, as his condition deteriorated he was shifted to the district headquarters hospital here.