Sambalpur: Child swapping slur rocked Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital (DHH) Saturday as a couple lodged a complaint alleging swapping of their newborn son.
The couple was identified as Rajkumar Giri and his wife Deepanjali Giri from Rampur area in Brajarajnagar town of Jharsuguda district.
The couple alleged that the hospital staff informed them about the birth of a son during delivery. However, an hour later, an employee of the hospital handed over a newborn girl to his wife who was suffering from cleft lip. The couple refused to leave the hospital premises until their newborn son is handed over to them and demanded a DNA examination to establish the truth.
When contacted, CDMO Dolamani Patel said that the matter is being probed after receiving a complaint from the woman’s husband. The veracity of the claim can be ascertained after availability of the report, he said.
Sources said that Rajkumar admitted his pregnant wife Deepanjali for delivery at the obstetrics and gynaecology department of the hospital after she went into labour at 12 noon, Friday. There the doctors administered her treatment.
Later, when she went to the toilet of the hospital to relieve herself, she delivered a baby boy near the lavatory while returning to her bed. On being informed by her husband, nurses and other hospital staff picked up the newborn, cleaned the woman and took her to the bed. However, an hour later, a nurse brought a newborn girl having cleft lip and handed it over to the woman.
The hospital staff allegedly refused to listen to Giri and went away leaving the newborn girl with the couple when he questioned the whereabouts of his newborn son. He demanded a proper probe and stringent action against persons responsible for child swapping.
Locals demanded to scan the CCTV footage in the hospital and conduct a DNA test to bring out the truth.
Notably, the couple has two girls and they went for the third pregnancy expecting a son this time.
PNN