Delhi: Infant Found Abandoned In Dumpster Recovers After Treatment, Handed Over To Child Welfare Committee

The hospital was able to successfully treat her and after staying in the hospital for 11 days, the infant is feeding well and currently weighs 2.5 kg.

The newborn, who weighed about 2.1 kg, had an animal bite mark on her right leg. (Representational Image)

Source : Getty

New Delhi: An infant who was found abandoned in a garbage bin earlier this month has been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee after treatment at a hospital, officials said on Wednesday. According to a PTI report, the child was taken to the emergency ward of a private hospital by local police after she was found in the dumpster.

The hospital was able to successfully treat her and after staying in the hospital for 11 days, the infant is feeding well and currently weighs 2.5 kg. She was handed over to the representatives from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), New Delhi, in the presence of a Delhi Police team.

The two-day-old baby was found in the trashcan on October 8, in Harijan Basti of Rajokri village. She was discovered by two people who passed and promptly alerted the police. On preliminary examination, it appeared that the baby was born less than 24-48 hours ago, was looking blue and her body weight was only two kilograms, lower than the usual weight for a newborn, an ANI report stated.

The baby, who weighed about 2.1 kg, had an animal bite mark on her right leg. She had low oxygen saturation, and was hypothermic and wet, said Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj. The baby was placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where she was stabilised.

She had jaundice and respiratory distress as well for which oxygen support was required. Her temperature was maintained with an infant warmer, antibiotics were given along with oxygen support and her sugar level was managed.

The baby was anaemic for which treatment was initiated and tests were carried out, the hospital said.

She was also diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus (a persistent opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart) which was treated without surgery. 

Despite efforts by the government and other stakeholders, India has 29.6 million orphaned and abandoned children as per UNICEF, reported ANI.

According to the news agaency, Delhi topped the list among states with the highest number of infants abandoned in any city in India between 2015-2020 according to the National Crime Records Bureau 2020 report.

(With inputs from agencies)