Abandoned babies find a new home

Now there is no worry for abandoned babies in the state of Kerala as Ammathottil, a scheme for abandoned infants, has taken the responsibility of taking care of these babies.

A newborn baby girl was received in Ammathottil on September 17 in Ernakulam General Hospital. The bell rang at 9.30 pm signaling the arrival of the first baby into the cradle. Paediatricians reached the spot immediately, to find a cute little child left sleeping in the cradle, covered and comfortable.

Weighing about 2.5 kg, the baby was kept under the care of nurses at the newborn ICU. "She is only seven days old, and is completely healthy," said medical superintendent Dr Annie P.G.

Annie also said that hospital authorities have conveyed the news to the child welfare committee and once the observation period was over the baby would be handed over to the welfare officials.

Ammathottil, (meaning child's cradle in Malyalam) is an initiative of the Kerala government under the State Council for Child Welfare.

The scheme provides care and services for abandoned children. The first Ammathottil was launched in Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram on November 14, 2002.

The first baby was arrived at the Ammathottil three months after launch of the scheme. With the success of Thiruvananthapuram experiment, the government decided to expand the scheme in all district headquarters in the state.

More than 500 babies are received in Ammathottil in last ten years in the state. And of them 300 children were adopted by couples who were selected by the government.

The scheme was launched to persuade women to leave their unwanted babies in the cradle rather than leaving them in trash.

The scheme for provides automatic cradle booths. These booth have sensors which get activated when a person steps on it to open the door for placing the baby.

There is also a recorded message, asking the person to think twice before abandoning the baby. Once a baby is placed inside the crib, a bell would start ringing in the maternity ward informing the nurses to collect the baby.

A one month old baby girl in Kochi Ammathottil, who was abandoned on SRM Road in August, is enjoying the company of nurses and hospital staff.

Though she is affected by Down's syndrome, the baby has put on weight and is being taken care of by the nurses. “When she was brought to the hospital, she weighed only 1.4 kg, but now she weighs 2 kg,” Dr Annie informed.

The Ammathottil was launched in Kochi hospital five months ago as part of an initiative of the State Social Welfare Department.

In 1992, Tamil Nadu launched the cradle baby scheme keeping in view the alarming rate of female infanticides in the state.