A 55-year-old Indian woman recently gave birth to her 17th child. Despite support policies from the local government, the family remains extremely impoverished and homeless.
The woman, from southern Rajasthan, is named Rekha Garbeliya, and is 55 years old this year.
Garbeliya's 17th child was born on August 26. The child has 16 siblings, four brothers and one sister of whom died shortly after birth.
Of Garbeliya's seven sons and five daughters, five are already married with children of their own. The family currently has 24 members, including Garbeliya's sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.
According to Indian media, they do not own a home and the entire family survives by collecting scrap, unable to afford school for the children. In order to feed the whole family, they have had to borrow money from loan sharks with interest rates as high as 20%.
Because of local government assistance, they now have temporary shelter, but the family remains extremely poor. Garbeliya's husband said, “We do not have enough money for food, weddings, or education. These issues trouble us every day.”
Garbeliya's daughter Sheela said, “We have gone through many hardships, and everyone is shocked when they hear that my mother has had so many children.”
Falsely Claimed This Was Fourth Birth
The doctor responsible for the delivery said Rekha initially claimed this was her fourth delivery.
“It was only later that we discovered she had already given birth to 16 children, five of whom had passed away. Due to the many past deliveries, her uterus is fragile and the risk of excessive bleeding has increased. The mother's life could have been at risk. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.”
The woman had not undergone any ultrasound or other prenatal checkups beforehand.
The health department expressed serious concern about the health risks posed by such a high birth frequency, especially considering the family's socioeconomic challenges.
Senior health official Dr. Madhu Riteshwar said, “If a woman has given birth to her 17th child, it is a matter of concern. We will investigate this case to determine whether our team has ever made contact with this family and encouraged them to use family planning. We will also assess if other families in the area face similar situations.”