To save the girl child, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came up with the program called BETI-BACHAO BETI PADAVO. The main objectives of this program are Prevention of gender-biased sex selective elimination, Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child, Ensuring education and participation of the girl child. Also, many NGO’s to came up with various programs promoting the concept of SAVING GIRL CHILD. Moreover, in recent days actors and well-known personalities are promoting this to eradicate the killing of the girl child in the womb or leaving the child after the birth in the hospitals. Here is the story of Dr. Ganesh Rakh of Pune who does not charge for the delivery of girl child.

Dr Ganesh Rakh started his hospital in Pune’s Hadapsar area in 2007 and he noticed something unusual. He said that “Most of the mothers going through labour were worried about whether it’s a boy or girl. Even during the nine months of pregnancy, the pressure or preference to have a boy is there. Also, I’ve seen mothers forgetting severe pains post-delivery due to their happiness due to the birth of a boy and then there are mothers who cry, despite having no pain, when they are told that they have given birth to a girl.”

He took the decision of waiving the delivery charges if the pregnant woman turns out to be a Girl Child on 2nd January 2012 as he saw many people who are fought if they had a girl child. Till now he had delivered 432 girl children also the hospital staff celebrates by distributing sweets and cakes if the girl was born.

Dr Ganesh Rakh said,“It’s a small step, a way to fight gender bias and change mindsets.”

At first when he took the decision the response from colleagues and other specialists who are working in the hospital is very little. Then, he used to work for 16-17 hours per day because to sustain the hospital and pay the salary of the staff through other services they provide and charge for at the hospital.

“People have to change their thinking,” he said. “We give special counselling to parents who don’t want a girl child.” Although, it is the small effort by him we should hope that it might take a big change one day.