Chuadanga woman abandons newborn at hospital because she is a ‘girl’
Authorities in Chuadanga Sadar Upazila promptly responded when a woman deliberately left her one-day-old baby at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital due to the child being a girl. The infant was later reunited with her parents on Friday evening.
Dr Wahid Mahmud Robin, the residential medical officer of the hospital, told The Business Standard, "Papiya Khatun, a pregnant woman, came to the emergency department of the hospital on Wednesday night [24 January], accompanied by her mother. After the birth of the girl, Papiya was admitted to the gynaecology ward of the hospital due to her poor health conditions."
"However, on Thursday morning, she and her mother cunningly left the one-day-old newborn with a relative of another patient in the ward and fled the hospital," said Dr Wahid Mahmud.
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At this point, both the hospital and upazila authorities intervened and shared a social media post in this regard. After seeing the post, the newborn's father and grandmother went to the hospital on Friday morning and received the infant, he said.
When pressed by authorities and local journalists, the mother Papiya said, "I have two daughters. My elder daughter is eight years old and my other daughter is three years old. During my seventh month of pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed that another girl was coming, which disappointed my husband. He hoped for a son."
"I then lied to my husband that the baby in my womb might be ill and could die. When labour pains started on Wednesday night, I went to the emergency department of the hospital with my mother, where I gave birth. The next morning, I left the baby with a woman in the ward and told my husband that our child had died," she added.
Garib Ruhani Masum, the vice chairman of Chuadanga Sadar Upazila, told TBS, "After I was informed, I conducted an investigation. Along with the social service officer, the executive officer of Sadar Upazila, the residential medical officer of Sadar Hospital, and the assistant commissioner (Land) of Sadar Upazila, we met with both parties to resolve the matter."
"The child and mother are now undergoing treatment at the hospital," he added.
