Subject(s)
Brain Abscess/microbiology , Meningitis, Meningococcal/microbiology , Brain Abscess/cerebrospinal fluid , Brain Abscess/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Meningitis, Meningococcal/cerebrospinal fluid , Meningitis, Meningococcal/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedSubject(s)
Adoption , Legislation as Topic , Female , Humans , India , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Physical Examination , Psychology, ChildABSTRACT
PIP: The problem of abandoned children is of great magnitude in India. Placement of these children in a family environment is essential for their physical, mental, and emotional development. Adoption must be approached from the child welfare perspective. The pediatrician can play an important role in the adoption process. The pediatrician should perform a thorough medical examination of infants to be adopted, both to ensure the child's welfare and to give adoptive parents an assessment of the child's health. Information should be collected on the medical history of the child's biologic parents to aid in the evaluation process. Adoptive parents should also undergo medical and pyschological examinations. Pediatricians can additionally work with social welfare departments in establishing criteria for matching children with adoptive parents. Adoptions in India are currently governed by provisions or the 1956 Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act. Since this legislation excludes groups such as Muslims, Christians, and Parsis from its purview, there has been a demand for national legislation providing a uniform adoption law for all the communities in India. The Union Government introduced such a comprehensive bill in 1972, the Adoption of Children Bill; however, no action was ever taken. It is urged that this legislation be reactivated, and that the restriction on the removal of children for adoption outside India be lifted.^ieng
