A probe has been ordered after a premature baby, declared dead and thrown into a dustbin soon after delivery at a private hospital in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, was found alive by his family.
The baby’s father, Abdul Bhatin, said: “Our boy was born five months premature.
“We were told that he did not survive and was thrown into a dustbin where he kept lying for hours.
“Only after persistent requests, he was handed over to us, wrapped in a sheet.
“Moments before the funeral, we were shocked to see the baby’s hands move and immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital from where the doctors referred him to a higher medical centre in Meerut.”
On Sunday, Nazma Khan, 38, had complained of abdominal pain when she visited the doctor at the Hapur hospital, and a senior doctor suggested immediate delivery.
The baby boy is her sixth child, born after five daughters.
Khan, who is in hospital, said: “My child was thrown in the dustbin. No health staff was present there to pick him up. Doctors said the baby was already dead.”
Her sister Momina added: “On our way to the burial ground, we all were surprised to find the ‘dead’ child breathing.
“The baby is now undergoing treatment at a different health centre and his mother has not been discharged yet from the Hapur hospital.”
Hapur chief medical officer Dr Sunil Kumar Tyagi said: “We have ordered a team from the district health department to probe the matter. Action will be taken against the private hospital if found guilty.”