Newborn Girl Missing From SCB In Cuttack Found; Woman, Hospital Trade Charges

Cuttack: A newborn baby girl, who went missing from the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack on Monday, has been found. A woman who had left with the baby girl has returned it, according to media reports.

The woman, identified as Sweety Rout, claimed hospital staff had mistakenly handed the newborn girl to her, thinking it was her baby, according to media reports. After she realised it, she returned the baby girl the same night.

According to sources, Tilottama Biswal gave birth to twin girls at the hospital. Some media reports said Sweety had given birth to a boy in the same hospital. As one of the twins developed jaundice, she was admitted to the ICU of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. The newborn boy too was admitted there, the reports said.

However, while discharging the baby boy, hospital staff mistakenly handed Sweety the baby girl, she claimed. Later, after reaching home, the couple realised they had been handed the baby girl instead of the baby boy. They immediately went back to the hospital and returned the newborn girl, she claimed.

Hospital authorities refuted Sweety’s version and claimed she was not admitted to SCB, some news reports said.

Further probe is underway to ascertain more details on the incident, said police.

Meanwhile, the newborn boy’s grandmother Sabita Rout alleged that hospital authorities were to blame for the mix-up. “They handed over the baby to us wrapped in a cloth. After reaching home we found out that they have swapped our baby with somebody else’s. We immediately returned the baby and took our son,” Sabita told media persons.