SMCH medical team saves abandoned child’s life, nurse breastfeeds baby for speedy recovery

On the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, police patrolling and checking becomes more intense than usual. During one such patrolling duty, the police on the wee hours of August 15, found an abandoned baby lying somewhere in Silchar in fragile condition. The baby was immediately rushed to the Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH) by the police. After admitting the baby there, and after a thorough checkup by the doctors, it was found that the baby was in a fragile vulnerable condition weighing only 1.9 kg and suffering from clinical sepsis.

The doctors and the entire medical team jumped to save the baby and started its treatment. What’s even more commendable is that one of the nurses in the hospital, who also happens to be a mother herself, breastfed the baby as it was underweight at that time. After 5 days of treatment indulging several medical techniques, the baby was finally released from the hospital on the 6th day on Friday morning to the Cachar police.

On behalf of the medical team of the SMCH, Dr Pinaki Chakraborty said, “The baby was brought to us on the early morning of August 15 by the police. At that time, the baby was in weak condition weighing just 1 kg 900 grams. Also, the newly born baby was trembling in cold and suffering from clinical sepsis. So we immediately started its treatment and due to the baby’s underweight, it was probably a case of premature delivery. So we had to take extensive care of the baby using various techniques like the ‘Kangaroo Mother Care’ technique, to support and feed the baby. And most essentially, one of our nurses, who also happens to be a mother of a child, volunteered to breastfeed the child to support her. As she is used to breastfeeding her own child, so she had no issue feeding the baby. During such a testing time as Covid, I think it’s brave of her to come forward to save the child at such a critical stage.”

After intensive care and treatment of the baby for 5 days, the infant was discharged today and handed over to the Cachar police, said Dr Chakraborty. He then further added, “We were not sure as to why the baby was abandoned at such a vulnerable state. So we also did an RT-PCR test on the baby to see if it had contracted the virus. But the test result came negative, so we were relieved of that possibility. After getting the negative report, we contacted the SP today and the baby was discharged and handed over to the police, who will hand over the baby to the government adoption agency, as per govt rules.”

Once again we have witnessed another instance where the doctors and the medical staff have given their everything to save the life of a helpless baby, who probably wouldn’t have survived without the timely intervention of the police and the medical staff of the Silchar Medical College & Hospital. And the nurse’s motherly care to feed and support the child during its treatment stands out as a glaring example of selfless service by the medical community, which often go unnoticed by the majority of people.