Parents seek custody of infant they had earlier abandoned in Kochi hostpital
KOCHI: The parents of a three-month-old girl, who was under the care of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) after they abandoned her, have expressed willingness to take custody of their child.
In January, the mother, a Jharkhand native, had given birth to the child at Ernakulam General Hospital and abandoned the newborn. At the time of birth, the baby weighed less than 1 kg and was just 28-week-old in terms of gestational development. She was soon shifted to the NICU of a private hospital.
After the mother was discharged, both the parents went missing. The child was taken in by the CWC and named Nidhi. The police registered a case and tracked down the parents, who were asked to reach Kochi and promised that no further legal action would be taken against them.
The parents reached Kochi on Monday and expressed willingness to take custody of the child. The cops allowed the couple to see the child, whose condition improved from severely anaemic to relatively healthy, and weighing at 2.5 kg.
The police will file a report before the CWC about the parents’ return to Kochi and their willingness to take the child under their care. The CWC will allow custody only after ensuring the parents will be able to give proper care to the child.
A report will also be sought from the Jharkhand police on the parents’ background. The women and child development department’s Bal Nidhi fund is being utilised to helm the medical expenses of the baby’s care at the private hospital.
