Radio frequency identification in govt hospitals to tag babies

Madurai: Seeking to put a stop to instances of new born babies being whisked away from government hospitals by unknown persons, Tamil Nadu government today said it proposes to provide Radio Frequency Identification or any similar technology to tag the infants.

The government had sought the help of Anna University for a feasibility study and the new identification system would be introduced in a month or two, the Health Secretary informed the Madurai High Court bench.

He said 58 high configuration cameras had been installed at the hospitals. Deans had been directed to survey the localities again and suggest if the cameras should be installed in other places.

Feed from CCTVs was being monitored and relatives told they could not come beyond visiting hours.

Adequate caution notices had been put up for antenatal, natal and post natal mothers, telling them not to leave their children under the care of strangers, he said.

Justices S Nagamuthu and V S Ravi were hearing writ petitions seeking compensation and transfer of investigation of the missing babies to the CB-CID.

Referring to the Madurai government hospital, the health Secretary said a broken window in the Maternity ward through which monkeys gained entry had been repaired.

A new Maternity and Child health wing had been sanctioned with 200 beds in the hospital and was nearing completion. So too was the Super Speciality wing, he said.

Before hearing Mareeswari, mother of a missing baby who had been given Rs. three lakh by government as compensation,the bench directed her to deposit the money in the name of her second child. The parent of another baby, Meenakshi, had been given Rs. one lakh as compensation.

On September 23, the court had ordered the state government to pay a total compensation of Rs. 25 lakh to 13 families, whose babies went missing from various government hospitals across the state.