Green towel helps babies reach real parents
TWO BABIES SWAPPED AFTER A MIXUP IN A KERALA HOSPITAL
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A green towel made all the difference for the parents of two babies who had been swapped six months ago at a private clinic in Kollam, south Kerala. The couples, Ramsy-Aneesh and Naushad-Jazeera, got their real babies back two days ago after a DNA test confirmed the mix-up.
The story goes like this. Two babies were born in the private hospital on August 22 last year. The babies were taken for medical examination after the delivery, and subsequently returned.
One set of parents raised a complaint that the baby that was taken for examination was wrapped in a green towel, but the one that came back had a yellow towel. The name-tag, too, had a different mother’s name.
The hospital however refused to entertain their complaint.
Six months later, when they took the baby for vaccination, the blood group was found to be A+, while the hospital discharge sheet mentioned it as O+.
Mother Ramsy then recalled how the towel had changed colour, and approached the police and child welfare committee officials. Both sets of parents agreed to undergo a DNA test, which exposed the hospital’s mixup.
Ramsy’s family has sent a legal notice to the hospital seeking a compensation of ~1 crore. Later, the hospital claimed that it had sacked nurses and other staff members who were present during the delivery, and approached her for a settlement.
The father of the second baby, Naushad, also said he would initiate legal action against Travancore Medicity Hospital.
“I have been promised ~2 lakh to withdraw the compliant, but I have refused,” he said.
Both families are also planning to approach the state human rights commission.
“It is not for money alone. No hospital should take such a lackadaisical and inhuman approach,” he said.