WCD ministry writes to health ministry to secure children orphaned in pandemic
NEW DELHI: The
has reached out to the ministry of health and family welfare in
the backdrop of reports regarding children orphaned due to
loss of parents to Covid-19 pandemic.
The has sought that a column may be added to
the hospital admission form seeking details of the trustworthy
person to whom children should be handed over incase of any
unforeseen circumstances.
WCD secretary Ram Mohan Mishra in the letter to MoHFW
secretary Rajesh Bhushan cites that he is writing this letter in
the light of reports regarding children losing parents during
the pandemic, with no one to take care of them immediately.
He goes on to point that the distress and anguish is not only
damaging to their being, it also puts them in a vulnerable
situstion, which can be manipulated to their disadvantage
while encouraging evils such as child labour or trafficking.
Besides listing the various schemes and measures being
taken by the ministry to rehabilitate such children in distress,
the WCD secretary goes on to explain the motive behind his
request for a column in the hospital admission form.
He points that besides the processes in place to rehabilitate a
child, it would be very useful, if parents themselves provide
details of their trusted relatives or friends to be contacted, in
case of any eventuality. He requests that MohFW may issue
directions to hospitals and care centres through the
state health departments to add this column to the form. He
also states that information about such cases can be sent by
the hospital to the child welfare committees for further followup.
WCD minister had on May 4 in a Twitter thread
said, “If you come to know of any child who has lost both
parents to Covid and has no one to take care of her/him,
inform Police or of your district or
contact Childline 1098. It is your legal responsibility,” she
stated. She made it clear that “it is illegal to give or take
orphan children of any one else in adoption. Such children
should be taken to the Child Welfare Committee, which will
take necessary action in the best interest of the child.”
On Thursday Irani took to Twitter to share that last year in June
the WCD ministry had initiated SAMVAD - an integrated
program for child & adolescent psychosocial care in
collaboration with NIMHANS.
In the light of the ongoing Covid crisis, a 4-part series of online
interventions will be carried out by SAMVAD. Starting 15 May
onwards, this series will address the new imperatives of child
protection & psychosocial issues emerging amid the Covid
surge. Irani shared that this series will factor in ways to
respond to children’s worries & anxieties and also provide
caregivers /service providers concrete methods to break bad
news to children and help process experiences of loss & grief
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