7 aborted foetuses found dumped in drain, authorities sealed Karnataka hospital

The seven foetuses were stuffed inside five small containers and were disposed of in an open drain. As soon as the bodies came to the notice of the local people, police were informed. Soon a team of officials from the Health and Family Welfare Department rushed to the spot.

After the incident came to light, authorities conducted a thorough investigation and raided 6 Maternity hospitals. A team of officers led by district health officer Dr Mahesh Koni and local police paid visits to most of the hospitals to discover the real story behind the abandoned foetuses. According to one of the doctors of Venkatesh Maternity Hospital, the bodies which were discovered previously originally belong to the hospital, reports a daily.

In 2019, the hospital relocated from Mahalingpur to Mudalagi town. The hospital authorities claimed that some of the pregnant women underwent checkups in the hospital and the scanning revealed some abnormalities in the foetus after which the parents decided to abort the baby. The hospital claimed that between 2013 to 2016 there have been several such instances where the parents decided to terminate the pregnancy after finding an abnormality in the foetus.

The hospital further stated that it restored the foetuses as specimens to study them and to show them to pregnant women who visited the hospital for routine checkups, reports Hans India. One of the doctors of the hospital claimed that the staff members while taking care of the instruments of the facility, threw the specimen in the drain without consulting the higher authorities. However, during the investigation, the hospital failed to provide any records or paperwork which can give authenticity to their claims that the foetuses were abnormal and were kept in the hospital as specimens.

Thus the credibility of the hospital, as well as the doctors, has been questioned. Finding the explanations insufficient, the district authorities have decided to seal the hospital unless the investigation proves the innocence of the facility. Though the sex of the foetuses has not been disclosed yet, there have been speculations that these could be a case of female foeticide, reports the New Indian Express.