Infants ‘swapped’ at Chamba hospital, probe on

Chamba, April 2

Members of a family from the Churah subdivision on Tuesday created ruckus at Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College (PJNGMC) and Hospital, Chamba, alleging child swapping by another family. The agitated family members also lodged a complaint with the Medical Superintendent, who has ordered a probe into the matter.

The accusation

• Lata Devi (28) of Churah and Rekha (22) of Kugti village of Bharmour subdivision gave birth to male infants at the Chamba Medical College just five minutes apart on March 28 at around 6.00 am.
• Both were discharged the same evening by the hospital authorities.
• However, five days later, Lata Devi, along with her family members, came to the medical college, alleging that her child was swapped. The family members got into a verbal argument with the other family.
• Lata Devi’s aunt Dhanno Devi alleged that the staff had swapped the babies in the labour room. She demanded a thorough probe into the matter, calling for the “right child” to be handed over to them.

As per information, Lata Devi (28) of Churah and Rekha (22) of Kugti village of Bharmour subdivision gave birth to male infants at the Chamba Medical College just five minutes apart on March 28 at around 6.00 am. Both were discharged the same evening by the hospital authorities.

However, five days later, Lata Devi, along with her family members, came to the medical college, alleging that her child was swapped. The family members got into a verbal argument with the other family.

Lata Devi’s aunt Dhanno Devi alleged that the staff had swapped the babies in the labour room. She demanded a thorough probe into the matter, calling for the “right child” to be handed over to them.

On the other hand, Rekha said the Churah family had made similar allegations on the day of the delivery. The family was, however, convinced by Rekha’s sister that nothing of this sort had happened, she added.

“They even apologised to us that day. However, five days later, they lodged a complaint with the hospital authorities which is totally false and baseless,” she said.

“After the birth, the nurses in the labour room had weighed the babies and showed them to us. It is hard to believe that a mother is refusing to recognise her own child and levelling baseless allegations,” she added.

Meanwhile, PJNGMC Medical Superintendent Dr Vipin Thakur said: “A committee has been constituted to investigate the matter and further action will be taken after its report,”

According to sources, if the matter was not resolved after the committee report, a DNA test would be the only option to determine the truth.Back in 2016, a case of child swapping was reported in Shimla’s Kamla Nehru Hospital. Following a judicial intervention and subsequent DNA test, the children were returned to the right families after five months.