Chennai: Male child replaced with girl, cry couple
Paternity test will be done on three couples, babies, says hospital dean
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-09-01 05:04 GMT
Chennai: Chaos ensued at the Government Chengalpet Medical College Hospital on Monday after a couple alleged that their newborn male child was replaced by a female child after it was shifted to the ICU. The hospital authorities and the police have initiated investigations into the incident after ledger entries in the labour ward identified the child born to the couple to be
male.
Hospital sources said three women, A. Banumathi, K. Dakshayayini and P. Revathy, all from villages in Kancheepuram district, gave birth around midnight. “All the three children were born in a gap of 15-20 minutes and were entered as male in the ledger of the labour ward,” Dr Muthuraja, Dean, CMCH told DC.
Since the children had respiratory issues, they were moved to the neo-natal ICU for further observation until Monday morning. However, on Monday around 11 am when nurses handed over the children to the mothers, A.Banumathi was given a girl child while the other two were given male children.
Banumathi and her husband Anandan, natives of Cheyyur village refused to accept the child and alleged that their child had been replaced. Soon, relatives of the couple too gheraoed the hospital after which Chengalpet town police rushed to the scene. The family members filed a complaint with the police. Dean Dr Muthuraj and Resident Medical Officer, Dr Isacc Kannan also initiated inquiries into the incident.
“There seems to be some confusion. We will conduct a paternity test on the three children and the parents. It is true that the ledger records identify all three children as male,” Dr Muthuraj said.
“The DNA samples will be sent to two centres — in Chennai and Hyderabad — through the police and the results will take at least a week to 10 days. Until that time, the babies will be kept in the ICU. The parents, if they wish can take care of all three children,” said Dr Kannan.