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Srinagar, Sept. 22: The Jammu and Kashmir government today stepped in to help treat an abandoned newborn girl with a cleft lip and palate, whose treatment requires a series of surgeries over a period of several years.
The girl was dropped possibly because of her deformity at Srinagar’s G P Pant hospital last week, triggering an outrage, but nobody has so far come forward to adopt her.
The government has now constituted a team of super specialists including plastic and pediatric surgeons to treat the baby.
“The committee was constituted at the instructions of health minister (Sham Lal Sharma). The government has decided to bear all the expenses to ensure her deformity is perfectly cured”, an official said. “The treatment requires seven surgeries to be conducted over several years. One thing is certain that she will be perfectly cured but it takes time”, he added.
The hospital management said they have made fervent calls for her adoption over more than a week, prompting dozens of people to enquire about her. Doctors at the hospital have also launched a Facebook campaign for help, where many have expressed outrage against the inhuman dumping of the girl.
The official said a doctor of Kashmiri origin based in Bangalore has agreed to adopt her and they are expecting him to visit the hospital soon.
“In case nobody comes forward, a non-governmental organisation (Help Foundation) has also consented to adopt her. Whether she is adopted by the NGO or some parents, the government will still bear the expenses on her treatment”, he said.
Salim Khan, deputy superintendent at the hospital, said the girl is healthy but is being fed through a tube because of the deformity.
“We want to reassure any potential family that wishes to adopt the baby that a team of specialists will perform the necessary lip and palate re-constructive surgeries at the appropriate stage. Till then only a little extra care will have to be taken while feeding the baby”, he said.
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