AP Govt. offers aid to Baby Gnanasai

The Andhra Pradesh government has come to the rescue of the parents of the eight-month-old baby, Gnanasai, for whom its parents sought mercy death because of a liver ailment it is suffering from. The parents had approached the Tamballapalli court in Chittoor district, appealing for mercy death for their child, for they could not afford the Rs 80-lakh operation that was essential for the child's wellbeing. They had already spent Rs 5 lakh in a Bangalore hospital for a surgery on the baby. Following the operation, the Bangalore doctors told the parents that another more complicated operation had to be performed on the baby, which would cost Rs 80 lakh. At this stage the parents threw up their hands and sought mercy death for it instead. Reading the news item in the media, AP Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas responded to the appeal on Friday and reassured the parents that they need not worry anymore: The state government would bear the cost of the operation on the baby. Srinivas told the parents to bring all the papers and certificates in connection with the Baby's operation so they can proceed with Gnanasai's treatment. He further told them not to worry. It may be mentioned that the Christian Medical College Hospital in contiguous Vellore takes up such complicated liver operations. Instead of going to Bangalore, the parents could have approaced the Vellore hospital for better results.