Doctors at Fortis La Femme hospital in Delhi have successfully revived a one-day-old newborn boy who was found abandoned in a park in Greater Kailash, South Delhi, in a near-death condition.
The infant was discovered by members of a local Resident Welfare Association, who immediately informed the police. The baby was rushed to Fortis La Femme, where doctors found him in an extremely critical state upon arrival.
Hospital officials said the newborn was suffering from severe hypothermia, a life-threatening condition in which body temperature drops to dangerously low levels, slowing the functioning of the heart, lungs and brain. The baby had pale skin, no breathing, an unclamped umbilical cord, fixed and dilated pupils, and abnormal vital signs, indicating he was fighting for survival. He weighed only 2.14 kilograms, categorising him as an extremely low-birth-weight infant.
The emergency and neonatal teams, led by senior neonatologists, immediately began life-saving treatment. The baby was intubated to support breathing and given oxygen. He required two rounds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to restore his heartbeat. Doctors also administered intravenous fluids and carried out a blood transfusion due to significant blood loss.
After several hours of intensive medical care, the newborn’s condition stabilised. Over the following days, he continued to improve steadily and eventually made a full recovery. Hospital authorities said the baby is now healthy and stable.
Following medical stabilisation, the infant was handed over to the police in line with government protocols for further legal and protective procedures.
According to UNICEF, India has around 29.6 million orphaned and abandoned children despite ongoing efforts by the government and civil society. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau’s 2020 report shows that Delhi recorded the highest number of abandoned infants among Indian cities between 2015 and 2020. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat also reported high numbers of cases involving abandoned babies, foeticide and infanticide during the same period.
Experts attribute infant abandonment in India to a combination of poverty, deep-rooted social norms, lack of support systems for single mothers, limited child-care facilities and postpartum depression.
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