A 12-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh succumbed to severe burn injuries late Saturday night while undergoing treatment at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, bringing renewed attention to the dangers posed by high-tension power lines in residential areas and gaps in inter-state healthcare access.
The girl had suffered nearly 70 per cent burn injuries after coming into contact with a high-tension electricity line passing dangerously close to her house. She had been admitted to Sawai Man Singh Hospital (SMS Hospital) for seven days before she passed away.
Family faced hurdles in treatment
The case came to light after the family was briefly forced to shift the child to a private hospital when they were asked to bear treatment expenses, as they were residents of Madhya Pradesh. Under Rajasthan’s Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana, only state beneficiaries are entitled to cashless treatment in government hospitals.
The family, migrant labourers who have been working in Jaipur for over seven years, did not initially have Ayushman Bharat registration when the girl was brought to the hospital.
Registered under Ayushman Bharat in MP
Pushpa Ahirwal, the girl’s mother, said the family later got registered under Ayushman Bharat in Madhya Pradesh, following which SMS Hospital agreed to provide cashless treatment even for patients from other states.
“We were told the treatment would cost ₹50,000. I spent over ₹20,000 just on ambulance charges. We did everything we could, but we still lost our daughter,” she said.
Demand for compensation
Ahirwal has demanded compensation from the government, holding authorities responsible for allowing high-tension power lines to pass close to residential homes. “This accident happened because of the power line over our house. We lost our child despite all efforts,” she said.
The family is survived by two other children. The incident has once again highlighted safety concerns around urban electrical infrastructure and the vulnerability of migrant families in accessing timely healthcare.