Kochi: The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) of the Kerala government will take responsibility for a 23-day-old girl child who was abandoned by her Jharkhand native parents at Lourdes Hospital in Kochi. Health Minister Veena George on Friday announced that she instructed the department's director to take necessary action. The infant is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the hospital.

The WCD district officer will also visit the hospital to assess the situation and take appropriate steps. The newborn will be handed over to her parents if they return. If the parents refuse to take the child, the Child Welfare Committee will assume responsibility through legal proceedings, the minister said in a statement. The minister also directed the superintendent of Ernakulam General Hospital to ensure that the infant receives necessary treatment.

The minister's intervention was based on a Malayala Manorama report, which brought the matter to public attention. Doctors and hospital authorities were deeply concerned about the infant's health, who has been named "Baby of Ranjitha", while making every effort to save her life.

The baby's parents, Mangaleswar and Ranjitha, worked at a fish farm in Kottayam. While travelling by train to their hometown for Ranjitha’s delivery, she went into labour and was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital. The baby girl was born on January 29. The delivery was premature, and the newborn was later transferred to Lourdes Hospital’s NICU for advanced care. Meanwhile, Ranjitha stayed at the General Hospital, while Mangaleswar split his time between the two hospitals.

Ranjitha was discharged on January 31 after her condition improved. However, Mangaleswar, who had regularly visited Lourdes Hospital until then, stopped showing up. The couple returned to Jharkhand without informing anyone.