Newborn discovered dumped in duct of hospital critical

A baby thought to be just an hour old when found abandoned in a duct between two buildings inside the premises of Bharati Hospital early on Saturday morning continues to be critical.

A hospital authority stated that the baby boy, who is undergoing treatment at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), became unstable on Saturday night, but is showing sign of recovery.

Forsaken: The baby was found abandoned in the duct between two buildings at Bharati Hospital, Dhankawadi, on Saturday. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

However, his condition remains critical. He is currently being administered intravenous fluids and oxygen.

"The baby had bilateral pneumothorax (collection of air in the pleural cavity of the chest), and has been put on a chest drain to remove the air. We will contact an NGO once the newborn's condition is stable," said N G Kamat, deputy medical director of the hospital.

A nurse from the casualty ward, who was alerted by the child's crying, discovered the infant, and the placenta was still attached to the baby when she found him.

According to chief medical officer Dr Parag Pandav, the baby was delivered about one hour before the nurse noticed it.

"The person who dumped the baby must be familiar with the hospital's infrastructure, as we have viewed the CCTV recordings, and no suspicious person is visible in the footage. The person must have entered from the back gate and abandoned the infant without getting noticed," said Pandav.

The police have registered a complaint against an unidentified person for abandoning a newborn baby under section 317 of the IPC.

"We enquired with authorities to ascertain newborn deliveries at the hospital. Two mothers who recently delivered had their babies with them. We have informed all the police stations in the city, and also have appealed to the public to contact us if they have any information about the baby, his parents or relatives," said G M Landge, police sub inspector at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station.u00a0