CWC moots ‘Ammathottil’ at medical college hospital in Kozhikode

Move against backdrop of increasing cases of child abandonment

The district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has proposed to the State government to set up an Ammathottil, an electronic cradle to help abandoned children, at the Institute of Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.

Right now, Kozhikode is the only district in the State which doesn’t have the facility.

P.M. Thomas, CWC chairperson, told The Hindu on Monday that the proposal was against the backdrop of the increasing number of cases where children are found abandoned, illegally given in adoption or killed as the parents are unable to ensure their upkeep.

“Recently, a three-month-old child was found abandoned on the roadside at Ramanattukara. There was another case of a child given in illegal adoption by its parents. In Kakkodi, a woman jumped into a well with her children and died. There was also a case of a woman and her daughter jumping into a river to end their lives,” Mr. Thomas pointed out. Children left on the roadside are often at the mercy of street animals such as stray dogs.

He said that parents were increasingly found to be resorting to such steps when they were in distress situation. “The committee members visited the medical college hospital after the Ramanattukara incident. A preliminary discussion on setting up the electronic cradle at the IMCH was held then,” Mr. Thomas said. The IMCH conducts the highest number of deliveries in Asia and has the facilities to ensure the healthcare of infants. The children left in the cradle can be later handed over to the CWC.

Steps to set up an electronic cradle at the Government General Hospital at the Kozhikode beach are also progressing at the same time. It has been included in the master plan for the development of the hospital. Approval was given recently for the project estimate of ₹24 lakh and e-tender proceedings are being completed now. Work on the facility was expected to begin in April. It is learnt that the Department of Women and Child Development has sought more funds for construction after getting technical sanction for the works.