Want to see your baby? First pay Rs 1,500 bakshish, Dhanbad CHC nurses tell mom

DHANBAD: After 30-year-old Sumati Devi delivered her baby at a community health centre (CHC) in Dhanbad’s Govindpur block, she thought the worst was over. But when the Dalit woman wanted to see the face of her baby she was allegedly told to pay Rs 1,500 to nurses and other auxiliary staff of the CHC. After repeated requests to hand over the baby to the mother yielded no results, Sumati’s husband Balram Rajwar, a daily wager, borrowed the money from a friend and paid the nurses.
Reports said the woman reached the CHC around 4 pm on Thursday along with her husband. She delivered a healthy child within an hour of getting admitted to the CHC. But she was not allowed to see the newborn till late night by the nurses who demanded Rs 1500 as ‘baksish’ (tips).
Balram submitted a written complaint to the medical officer in-charge of the CHC Dr B Kumar, seeking action against the nurses deployed there. Dr Kumar said he would investigate the matter.