Karnataka - Bijapur   

This little girl yearns for parental care

Caregiving: A nurse feeding Yellavva at the district hospital in Bijapur on Sunday.

BIJAPUR: Those involved in HIV/AIDS prevention mission say that “patients suffer more from social stigma rather than the disease”. That is what has been happening to six-year-old Yellavva.

Her mother Shantavva Basappa Gennur (30) died of AIDS at the District Hospital here on Wednesday. However, despite efforts by the hospital authorities, no one has come to claim the body. They are confused about the whereabouts of the girl and her mother as Yellavva says they are from Tonshyal near here and some times says they hail from Baluti in Basavanabagewadi taluk. However, a woman, who admitted Shantavva to the hospital on October 12, had stated that their house was at Mamadapur in Bijapur taluk. Though the hospital authorities sent telegrams to the village about her death, they received no response.

The authorities have decided to wait for two more days and handover the body to the municipal authorities. But what has become a cause of concern for the hospital authorities is the future of the girl, who has also tested HIV positive. Yellavva’s father Basappa Gennur and elder sister Sujatha died a year ago. Yellavva has made a ward in the hospital her home, thanks to the love and care of the paramedical staffAccording to Ravi Kittur, counsellor at the district voluntary testing centre, efforts will be made to admit the girl to an orphanage in Bangalore.

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This little girl yearns for parental care

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