In a shocking incident, 'heartless' parents abandoned their two-month-old COVID positive baby- which died late Sunday evening at Jammu's Shri Maharaja Ghulam Singh Hospital (SMGS). Police, as well as civil administration, are trying to locate the parents but to no avail because they have gone underground after switching off their mobile phones.
"After properly following COVID SoPs, we sent the body in the mortuary of Government Medical College Hospital Jammu as authorities have to wait for 72 hours before performing last rites of the baby", Medical Superintendent of SMGS Hospital, Dr. Dara Singh said, adding, "We have informed the police to trace the parents".
Sharing detail about this shocking incident, Dr. Singh said that a two-month-old male baby was brought to the hospital from Kathua. "The baby was suffering from congenital heart disease with acute respiratory failure. His treatment was going on but he died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest on late Sunday evening", he said, adding, "Soon after cardiac arrest, Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) test was done which came positive after which we asked his parents to undergo COVID test as well, but instead of going for testing, they ran away."
After the baby was tested positive, hospital authorities asked parents for the Corona test. As a special counter is set up outside the wards to Rapid test, both husband and wife went out. Instead of going towards the counter, they ran away from the spot. The hospital staff tried their best to catch the baby's parents but to no avail.
The civil administration, police tracing parents
Authorities of the SMGS Hospital informed Kathua administration and police to trace the 'missing' parents. "In writing, we have informed district administration of Kathua and police to trace baby's parents to conduct last rites as per COVID protocols", Dr. Singh said and added that as per SoPs at least a family member must be there for conducting last rites.
