IGMC

Shimla: Extending helping hand towards burn victim girl Muskan family, Umang Foundation, a welfare trust, has adopted Muskan and decided to bear her medical expenses.

A seven years old Muskan, a severely burn victim girl child of a migrant labourer from Bihar, was admitted in the Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMC), Shimla after her mentally sick father pour kerosene in the chullah, resulting in severe burns to her.

Ajai Srivastava, chairman of the Umang Foundation, said that Umang Foundation has decided to ensure every humanitarian support to Muskan and will also support girl in her education and social rehabilitation.

Ensuring better facility for the migrants’ labourers, the Foundation has demanded state government for providing free medical facilities for them.

In a letter to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Ajai Srivastava has urged him to come out with a policy to provide free medical treatment to migrant labourers and their families.

Giving anecdote of constitutional provision in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, guarantees right to life to every citizen of the country and right to health, Srivastava said that it’s a constitutional duty of the government to protect every fundamental right of individuals including right to life and health. Even the Supreme Court of India in its numerous judgments, including Pt. Paramnand Vs Union of India case (1990), has emphasized that it is an obligation on the government to protect life because it’s precious, He added.

Earlier this month, another eight years old girl child Shreya, daughter of a migrant labourer, had died of poisoning in the IGMC and her father had to sell out his small land to meet the expenses of her treatment.

Srivastava said thousands of poor migrant labourers from Bihar, U.P, Jharkhand and other states are playing major role in the development of Himachal Pradesh, but when they or their family members need hospitalization, there is nobody to bear expenditure of the treatment.