Aligarh :

Doctors at a local medical facility in Aligarh are in disbelief as they attend to a baby who just 750 gm, and almost fits in the palm. Born pre-mature at seven months to Pinki, 20, from Chandaus village, the baby is said to be stable, but still under high-risk.

According to doctors, the normal birth weight of the baby should be around 2.6 kg and the condition is ‘extreme high-risk’ when the weight at birth is less than 1000 gm.

Gynecologist Anjula Bhargava, who delivered the baby said, “The mother had various complications when she came to us. So, we had to go ahead and deliver baby. At seven months, the baby should be at least 1.5 kg. This is a tiny baby with partly developed respiratory system, among other difficulties. He needs to be immediately shifted to a bigger facility to survive,” she says.

But the father of the baby, who’s a BSF jawan, is unable to afford the cost of the treatment outside Aligarh. Immediately after the birth, on May 21, when the family went looking a facility in town, they were simply turned down by because of the risk involved.

They finally managed to admit the baby at Aligarh’s Makhan Lal Hospital & Child Care Centre, where he’s presently undergoing treatment.

Child specialist at the Centre, Dr Sunil Gupta, said, “We took him only after making it clear that there is no guarantee of his survival, though we will give our best. In this case, the mortality rate is high. They told us how they spent hours looking for the right medical facility. All I can say is the child is lucky to survive with no medical care for hours after the birth. A normal child should weigh 2.5 kgs at the birth and lesser than 1.6 kg is low birth weight, and lesser than 1,000 gm is extreme low birth weight.”

At the centre, he is being continuously being supplied with oxygen to strengthen respiratory system. The treatment is also on to keep away Septicemia (blood infection), and to make sure that he tolerates feed, said Dr Gupta.

Uncle of the baby, Om Prakash, who is a farmer, said they were heartbroken when they first saw the baby. “We did not know where to go for help. We just wrapped him in a cloth and rushed from one medical centre to another in the scorching heat. When three centres turned us down, we lost hope. Now the doctors tells me his condition is improving,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha, TNN / May 25th, 2015