“Ammathottil” Electronic Cradle set up at Government General Hospital, Kozhikode. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
Seven children have been admitted in the ‘Ammathottil’ electronic cradle set up at the Kozhikode Government General Hospital, the second such facility functioning in north Kerala, in the last nine months.
According to an official of the district office of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, which manages the facility, the latest baby was found in the cradle on May 5. The facility was officially launched here on August 17, 2025.
An official told The Hindu on Wednesday (May 07, 2026) that the district secretary of the board and the district manager of Sisu Vikas Bhavan will get a message on their mobile app as soon as a new baby is found in the cradle. They will then inform the attending superintendent at the hospital in charge of the facility. The nursing staff then takes the child to the maternity ward and checks its health indicators, such as height, body weight and approximate age. The State General Secretary of the Council will then state the child’s name. The newest child was named ‘Agney’.
All these details will then be communicated to the Sisu Vikas Bhavan Manager. The Child Protection Committee will later decide on the transfer of the child to an adoption facility. In Kozhikode, a special adoption agency is St. Vincent Home.
Then the District Child Protection Officer issues a press release about the child. If no one comes forward to claim the child within the next 60 days, it will be left free for adoption proceedings by the appropriate government agencies. Another ‘Ammathottil’ in North Kerala is operational in Malappuram district.
Published – 07 May 2026 20:28 IST
