Hyderabad: A baby born to a Sudanese woman and diagnosed with severe blood and brain infections, received a new lease of life at government-run Niloufer Hospital for Women and Children in Hyderabad.
After a month of intensive treatment, the critically-ill newborn has fully recovered and returned home with her mother Saida Abdul Wahab, who delivered the child in November 2024 at a hospital in Hyderabad through In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
The 43-year-old had arrived with her husband in Hyderabad a month ago to undergo IVF treatment.
After enduring five devastating pregnancy losses, Saida was happy over the birth of the child through IVF but her joy was overshadowed by the infant’s critical condition.
The infant was born with bacterial meningitis – an infection of the membranes (meninges) that protect the spinal cord and brain.
Facing financial problems, the couple could not continue treatment of the infant at the private hospital and approached Niloufer Hospital for help. Their unfamiliarity with the local language and the people made her situation even more challenging.
The doctors at Niloufer treated the boy for blood and brain infections and lung complications.
The medical team at the government hospital worked tirelessly to treat the baby, offering all care free of charge for nearly a month.
“The baby was admitted to the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU), where he received round-the-clock care for six days, followed by further treatment for a month,” said neonatologist Swapna, who led the medical team for the boy’s treatment.
Saida stated that after suffering five miscarriages and years of longing for a child, they had landed in Hyderabad for IVF treatment. She credited the doctors at Niloufer for giving her baby a second chance.
The woman from the war-torn country thanked the doctors of Niloufer. She said that India is a good country and it took good care of her child. She thanked the doctors.
Niloufer Hospital superintendent, Dr. Ravi Kumar, Health and Family Welfare Commissioner R.V. Karnan, praised the medical team for their exceptional efforts in treating the infant.
Officials of Niloufer Hospital said the infant was treated free of charge. They said that it was an exceptional case where the woman had no money to treat her son and arrived at Niloufer.
Hyderabad has emerged as a hub of medical tourism in recent years with patients reaching here from different Central Asian and African countries for specialty treatment.
One of the first hospitals in India to focus on the healthcare needs of women and children, Niloufer Hospital was established by Princess Begum Sahiba Niloufer Khanum Sultana Farhat, princess of the Ottoman Empire who was married to Prince Moazzam Jah, the second son of VIIth Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan.
It is said that the idea of a hospital strike for maternity and childcare came to the Princess in 1949 after her maid Rafath Unnisa Begum died during childbirth. The hospital was inaugurated in 1953 but Niloufer could not attend the inauguration as she had already shifted to France after separation from husband.
