In a time when the world is reaching heights in research and development, there are certain sections of the society where people still believe in curing diseases with the help of local babas rather than taking them to a doctor. In a recent incident, 4 children from MP’s Khandwa district lost their lives due to the superstitious beliefs of their parents. The kids named Abhishek, Ajay, Renuka and Nikhilesh died on July 23, 28, 29, and Aug 5 after having been diagnosed with critical jaundice and pneumonia symptoms.
Upon experiencing fever and sore throats, the parents of the kids rushed them to a local baba who ‘assured’ them that their kids will be alright soon. He performed some “jhaad-phoonk” on them and they returned home without taking any medical help. As the condition of the kids started deteriorating, they finally took them to a nearby hospital where they breathed their last.
Dr. DS Chouhan who was in charge of checking the kids said, “The villagers are very negligent – despite being told by the sister to take the children to Khandwa hospital, they kept treating them at home with superstitious beliefs”. After this incident, the local administration formed a team to inspect the health of other children in the village but they were declared healthy. Search is still on for the fraud baba.