Ammathottil at Kozhikode govt hospital receives first baby

Kozhikode: The Ammathottil installed at the Government General Hospital (Beach Hospital), Kozhikode, received its first baby on Sunday. The two-day-old boy, weighing 2.8 kg, is under medical observation at the hospital and has been named Aadhi, said Arun Gopi, General Secretary of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW).

The cradle alerted staff around 8.45 pm through its electronic system. A duty nurse immediately attended to the infant, after which KSCCW district secretary P Sreedev and other officials visited him at the hospital.

The facility was set up with funds provided by former MLA A Pradeep Kumar and current MLA Thottathil Raveendran. It was inaugurated on August 17 by PWD and Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas

This marks the 13th infant received through Ammathottil cradles in Kerala in 2025. In September alone, three babies were received in Thiruvananthapuram, four in Alappuzha, and one in Thrissur.

Launched in 2002, the Ammathottil initiative of KSCCW provides an automated cradle where unwanted, orphaned, or abandoned infants can be safely and anonymously placed. Once a child is left, the cradle triggers an alarm, enabling staff to take custody and arrange for the baby’s care and eventual adoption, offering a secure alternative to unsafe abandonment.