NABARANGPUR (ODISHA): A nine-day-old baby girl admitted to hospital in a critical condition after being allegedly branded with hot glass bangles died on Monday morning at the district headquarters hospital here. According to reports, the newborn girl had suffered serious burn injuries after she was branded with a hot object by a traditional healer on Sunday at Goramba village under Jharigaon block in the district.
Hospital sources said the baby died of septicaemia. Reports said the baby had breathing problems in difficulty in suckling following which her parents –Budu Kalar and Bindu Kalar– believing it to be work of evil spirits had taken her to a witch doctor who branded the baby with hot glass bangles while assuring that it would cure her illness.
However, her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. The minor was admitted to the sick newborn care unit (SNCU) of the hospital. Despite best efforts of the paediatricians at the hospital, the baby could not be saved. She died in the early hours on Monday.
The district collector has formed a five-member committee to probe into the incident. In a similar incident, a 22-day-old baby boy was admitted to Jeypore sub-divisional hospital in Koraput in a serious condition after he was branded with hot iron rods all over his body on the advice of the local healer to cure ailments. The incident took place at Jhariguda village in Borigumma block earlier this month. In yet another incident, a quack was held in Nabarangpur district on charges of branding a 28-day-old baby.
The incident had taken place at Butipadar village under Papadahandi block when an Anganwadi worker called the quack—Purushotttam Ghasi—from a nearby village to treat her baby for abdominal pain. Though this form of treatment to cure of ailments has no medically proven record, poor people look up to quacks and traditional healers for medical aid.
