Mahbubnagar district health authorities seized a chain of paediatric hospitals run by a quack under the name Sri Sai Children’s Hospital after they were found to be unregistered. Mahbubnagar town police booked a case under Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act for trying to sell a female baby and launched a manhunt for the quack Ramu following a sting operation by a TV channel.
Mahbubnagar town circle inspector S. Janaki Reddy said, “We have booked the case against the management of Sai Sri and Ramu. He is on the run. The accused runs three hospitals with the same name in Shadnagar, Atmakur and Mahbubnagar. In the sting operation, the TV journalist offered Rs 25,000 for the baby and the accused accepted it. This was telecast on TV. Initially, the operation began in Shadnagar. As there was no baby available there, the reporter was asked to go to Mahbubnagar. They tried to sell abandoned female babies in the hospitals.”
Police alleged that health officials allowed the unregistered hospital to operate. Health officials visited the hospital after the incident and seized it. The director of health, Dr Aruna Kumari, said, “We issued a notice to the hospital a month ago and it didn’t get registered. We have asked all district medical and health officials to launch a fresh drive to seize unregistered hospitals.”