Bribe to see your newborn?

The newborn son of Tabassum, who alleges she had to shell out Rs 1,000 to nurses at the local corporation hospital in Bangalore to see her baby after he was born
It's a grim face of the mega city Bangalore - in a shocking incident of corruption involving government hospitals in Bangalore, mothers are being forced to pay a bribe to see their newborn babies.Several women have raised their voice against the rampant corruption in Bangalore's municipal hospitals.

In recent months the Karnataka state capital has been caught in the turbulence of politics - but the city that aspires to lead India into the future has bigger worries it seems - worries over the functioning of basic facilities like hospitals.It turns out that mothers of newborn babies here have to face the worst kind of corruption in government hospitals.As TIMES NOW found out new mothers who are already in a tender physical condition are made to undergo mental agony as well, having to pay a price to see their own little babies.A month ago Tabassum gave birth to a baby boy at the local corporation hospital, but for all her joy she was stunned when, just to catch a glimpse of her own baby, she had to pay up."The nurse demanded a thousand rupees after my delivery. When my husband refused, she said we should deliver our babies at home if we didn't have enough money," she recalled to TIMES NOW.Tabassum is not the only one who was forced to borrow money to see her child. Another mother, Nirmala, also attests to this shocking practice "We paid because we were scared for our child," she said. Corporation officials admit there are loopholes in their system but the explanation given is standard and ineffectual."Yes, we are aware of these things and we have displayed boards regarding payment of the charges towards any users charges," said Dr L T Gayatri, Chief Health Officer of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. They say becoming a mother is a blessing - but in metropolitan Bangalore - what comes with motherhood is a curse.
-INDIA TIMES
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------