Kokrajhar, June 8: Unable to settle their hospital bills, a desperate couple sold their newborn in lower Assam's Chirang district yesterday.
When Sabita Narzary, 20, and her husband Philip, 24, went to Bongaigaon government (civil) hospital last week in preparation for the delivery of their first child, they were advised by doctors to go to the private Chilarai Hospital and Research Centre there because of complications in the pregnancy. Sabita was admitted at the private hospital on Wednesday and delivered a girl by Caesarian section the same day.
When the hospital handed a bill for Rs 29,000 to the couple, Philip, a daily wage earner, was at his wits end. "We don't have so much money, so when a nurse came to us and said a childless couple from Baksa was willing to pay the hospital bill in exchange of the baby, we agreed," he said. "I don't have money for the hospital and medicines, so I brought back my ailing wife home," he said. When contacted, a senior health official in Chirang said, "We don't know of any such incident."
Bongaigaon deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu said he, too, was unaware of the incident but said he would inquire into the matter and act accordingly.
The Bengtal unit of the All Bodo Students Union (Absu) said it would file an FIR against the hospital authorities. President of its Bengtal unit K. Basumatary alleged there was a nexus between the doctors at the government hospital and private one. "We are filing an FIR and will demand an inquiry into the whole incident," he said.
At a time the Assam government has been implementing numerous healthcare schemes to ensure institutional delivery and arrest child and maternity mortality rates, this incident has exposed the lacunae in health services in the BTAD.
A similar incident had taken place in 2012 at Rupnath Brahma civil hospital, Kokrajhar, where a couple had been compelled to give away their newborn son for adoption, unable to foot their medical bills for Rs 7,000. The child was, however, reunited with his parents following intervention by the media and non-governmental organisations. The doctor who had forced the couple to buy medicines from a private pharmacy was arrested.
"Despite the tall claims by the government, the health scenario is in a poor state. The government health centres lack basic facilities, including doctors in many areas, especially in BTAD," said P. Brahma, an activist in Kokrajhar.
Under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) scheme of National Rural Health Mission, a pregnant woman is entitled to free and cashless delivery, free Caesarean section, free drugs and dietary supplements and free pathological tests at any health institution for up to three days for normal delivery and seven for Caesarean section. She is entitled to free conveyance from home to the health institution during referrals and free drop back home after delivery under the Adharani scheme.
