Newborn baby girl rescued from garbage dump in Delhi; admitted to hospital in serious condition

PTI

New Delhi, October 8

A newborn baby girl with her umbilical cord attached was rescued from a garbage dump in southwest Delhi, a statement issued by a hospital said on Saturday. The baby was out in the rain.

The girl was extremely weak and in a hypothermic state. She is currently undergoing treatment, according to the doctors at Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj.

The baby was discovered from the Harijan Basti at Rajokri village here and shifted for treatment to the emergency unit of the hospital by the local police, it said.

Two passersby discovered the baby and alerted the police, the hospital said.

The baby is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a serious condition and is being assessed by doctors for any additional or underlying medical conditions, it said.

On Saturday at 8.12 am, police got information regarding a girl child found lying in the garbage at Rajokri Bus Stand, a senior police officer said.

Police reached the spot and met the caller who said that he saw a newborn girl, aged around 3 days, lying in a garbage dump near his house. He called the police and took the girl home as it was raining, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Manoj C said.

The girl was then handed over to the police and taken to Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, where she is under primary treatment and her health is stable. Further legal action is being taken as per the law, the DCP said.

A team of doctors led by Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head of the Department, Pediatrics, Fortis Hospital, took the baby into their care.

On preliminary examination, it appeared that the baby was born less than 24 to 48 hours ago. As she was exposed to cold air, her skin had turned blue and she weighed only two kilograms, lower than the usual weight for a newborn, the statement said.

"The baby was drenched due to rain, extremely weak and in a hypothermic state with the umbilical cord attached. She appeared to be a preterm baby and her body temperature was 33 degree Celsius, lower than the normal 36.4 degrees Celsius.

"Our team resuscitated her and wrapped her in warm clothing after cleaning her. She was then shifted to the neonatal intensive care unit," said Dr Nagpal.

He said they are monitoring the oxygen saturation level, correcting her blood sugar and stabilising her.

"We are conducting a few tests to know whether she has any additional medical conditions or if there was any brain damage. The baby is responding to treatment which is a good sign," he added.

The residents said they were going for a morning walk when they saw the baby lying in the garbage dump.

"We immediately informed the local police, who brought the newborn to Fortis Vasant Kunj. We will be happy to adopt the child, if possible, post her recovery," they said.