When Mrs. Mandal (name changed) gave birth to a baby boy last year, the family was overjoyed.
The Mandals are one of the numerous tribal families living with very little means, surviving mostly on what food they can grow on their little bit of land in the jungle. The area is subject to droughts and flooding, so crops are often very poor.
Especially newborn babies struggle with their health, not managing to get enough nourishment from the milk of their malnourished mothers.
Soon after birth, the boy became very ill.
For a while now, our team have been focusing especially on keeping an eye on any pregnant mothers in our area. They check up on them regularly during pregnancy, providing advice, medicine, and if needed, supplements and sometimes even food donations.
They also keep track of all newborns and check up regularly on mother and baby after delivery.
In this way, the team became aware of the Mandal boy's condition very soon and Dr. Devashish suspected the baby was suffering from pneumonia.
It seems logical to us that in a situation like this, the boy should be brought to hospital as quickly as possible for treatment.
Sadly, we still encounter many people who are suspicious of state hospitals and modern medicine, and most families are superstitious. This is part of the rich and respected tribal culture, but can sometimes lead to difficulties.
In the case of this patient, his family decided that the boy was possessed by a ghost or evil spirit.
The baby was treated by the village's medicine man, who took measures to drive out the spirit.
Even as the boy's condition steadily worsened, they would not be persuaded to take him to hospital.
Soon after having started the traditional treatment, the baby sadly passed away.
The Mandals are one of the numerous tribal families living with very little means, surviving mostly on what food they can grow on their little bit of land in the jungle. The area is subject to droughts and flooding, so crops are often very poor.
Especially newborn babies struggle with their health, not managing to get enough nourishment from the milk of their malnourished mothers.
Soon after birth, the boy became very ill.
For a while now, our team have been focusing especially on keeping an eye on any pregnant mothers in our area. They check up on them regularly during pregnancy, providing advice, medicine, and if needed, supplements and sometimes even food donations.
They also keep track of all newborns and check up regularly on mother and baby after delivery.
In this way, the team became aware of the Mandal boy's condition very soon and Dr. Devashish suspected the baby was suffering from pneumonia.
It seems logical to us that in a situation like this, the boy should be brought to hospital as quickly as possible for treatment.
Sadly, we still encounter many people who are suspicious of state hospitals and modern medicine, and most families are superstitious. This is part of the rich and respected tribal culture, but can sometimes lead to difficulties.
In the case of this patient, his family decided that the boy was possessed by a ghost or evil spirit.
The baby was treated by the village's medicine man, who took measures to drive out the spirit.
Even as the boy's condition steadily worsened, they would not be persuaded to take him to hospital.
Soon after having started the traditional treatment, the baby sadly passed away.
Your continued support means that our team can keep offering their assistance to people who need it most. Please help us to make sure no more babies have to die this way!