Nabarangpur: Despite several measures taken by the district administration to create health awareness, rising cases of branding of newborn kids are coming to the fore in the district.
Two fresh cases Wednesday came to light in Bangapali village under Pujariguda panchayat under this block. One is of a 36-day old girl and the other being 20-day old. Both the kids were recuperating from burn injuries, it was learnt.
The incidents came to light after health workers made door-visits during an anti-branding campaign launched by the administration in the district. The families still believe that the traditional ‘therapy’ would cure the babies even as health workers advised them to take the kids to a hospital.
According to reports, Budai, wife of Nilambar Bhatra, delivered a baby girl at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) February 3. They returned home with the baby after spending 84 hours in the hospital. However, the couple branded the baby with hot bangles after she failed to feed properly and the veins were visible on her belly. The girl was branded when she was a month-old. The family members administered the ‘therapy’, Budai said.
Similarly, the 20-day-old daughter of Madhav and Para Bhatra was branded on her belly at 15 places as she was underweight. The baby’s weight was two kg during delivery while it is 1.8 kg at present. The baby was also not sipping breast milk properly for which a relative branded her with hot bangles, Para said. Besides, the family members tied a piece of mosquito net in one of baby’s hands and a black thread on baby’s foot to ward off evil spirits, she said.
So far, three children have lost their lives in Nabarangpur DHH due to branding and another 12 were discharged after primary treatment at the hospital. However, several cases don’t get noticed as parents in interior pockets are reluctant to visit hospitals, a report said. PNN
