Abandoned by mother, adopted by nurses
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Bangalore: Bhagya — her name means fortune, but this little girl still has to see fortune smile at her. At seven months, however, she is perhaps fortunate just to be alive. Abandoned by her biological mother, Bhagya was rescued by passers-by from a garbage bin. She now undergoes treatment at the Humanitarian Hospital, Bannerghatta. Her condition is delicate, as she suffers from a congenital condition called cavernous angioma, a disease of the nervous system that has resulted in deformation in the face.
Bhagya was born at the Vani Vilas Hospital. Her mother, Gangamma, abandoned the baby in a garbage bin at KR Market. Passers-by found her on June 25. The police intervened, and handed her over to the Humanitarian Hospital, which works closely with patients in difficult financial circumstances. Authorities at the hospital said that they are seeking financial support to perform corrective surgery on the baby's face. Also, hospital authorities are seeking adoptive parents.
The hospital, run by the non-governmental organisation RVM Foundation, is taking care of the child at present. "We are treating her for the congenital condition as well as for infections she picked up as she was abandoned while still so vulnerable in a garbage bin. She is coping well with the treatment, and is now much better," said BTK Reddy, chief doctor at the hospital.
Doctors are waiting until the infections are fully cured to perform corrective surgery on the baby's face. "We are already in talks with plastic surgeons. The surgery will be an expensive procedure, costing in the range of Rs8 lakh. That is why we would like donors to support it," said Reddy.
Bhagya's mother Gangamma already had three girl children. It is likely that she did not wish to mother another girl. A recent UNICEF report indicated that gender discrimination is rampant in the country; around 50 million girl children and women go missing from India each year, according to the UNICEF report.
Bhagya's mother had entered a fake residential address while being admitted to Vani Vilas Hospital for the delivery. "We tried to trace the mother, but could not locate her at the address she had given," said Reddy.
Since the baby's biological parents cannot be traced, and given that her own mother had most likely deserted her, hospital authorities are now seeking to clear all the necessary legal formalities for offering the baby to adoptive parents. However, after being at the Humanitarian Hospital for a month, Bhagya has now become the darling of hospital workers. "Everyone loves her. She is a quiet and undemanding child, she hardly cries. Even though her condition is a painful one, she is quiet," said Ramya Damodran, a nurse looking after her.
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