Abandoned by parents, unclaimed in morgue

Her parents abandoned her barely two days after she was born in Sion Hospital. Two lonely days later, the four-day-old infant breathed her last, but her loneliness continues in death. Ten days after the unnamed child's death, her body still lies unclaimed in the morgue of the hospital, while police officials are still on the lookout for the absconding parents.

Abandoned at birth: Doctors at Sion Hospital delivered the premature baby on October 14. Two days after her birth, the parents left her at the hospital. File Pic

The baby girl was born two months premature on October 14 to a young mother, Shobha Patole. Soon after the delivery, the extremely premature infant developed complications, suffering from respiratory ailments that prompted doctors to shift her to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

While the parents fled from the hospital two days later, doctors at the hospital continued treating the child in the NICU. The child breathed her last at 4 pm on October 18.

"The cause of death of this infant was specified as extreme prematurity and pulmonary haemorrhage, which means acute bleeding from the lung. While the infant's body was shifted to the morgue, efforts are being made by the police to track the parents for the last 10 days but so far, no one has come forward to claim the body," said Dr Rajesh Dere, a professor in the forensic department of the hospital.

When this correspondent tried to trace the absconding parents of the deceased infant, it was discovered that the address registered with the hospital -- a building in a MHADA colony in Sion Koliwada -- was false, and residents said no one with the surname Patole lived in their colony.

Requesting anonymity, a resident said that the police had visited their building a few days ago with a notice asking the parents to claim the infant's body in Sion Hospital. "We informed them that no one by that surname has lived here," he said. The father of the infant, Abhimanyu Patole, had registered a colleague's number with the hospital. When contacted, the person identified himself as Rajendra and said the couple had left for Pune a while back. "The father is an alcoholic and we had briefly worked together before he disappeared after his child's birth," said Rajendra.

Copspeak
"While a case was registered in Wadala TT police station, officials have so far been unsuccessful in tracking the parents. "Since it has been more than a week since the baby's death and no relative has come forward, we will have to get the body cremated soon," said a sub inspector from the police station.u00a0