Asha workers: Besides virus, unsung warriors battle govt apathy

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 31

Accredited Social Health Activists (Ashas) are working on ground zero since the outbreak of the pandemic, but they are complaining of not being provided adequate safety equipment. Incidents of violence against Asha workers are common and daily nearly 10 of them are testing positive in the state.

No gloves, gowns

We’ve been demanding sanitiser, gloves, gowns, N95 masks, etc. for long. Many haven’t even received the Rs2,500 honorarium. Kirandeep Kaur, President, Ashas’ Association

Will ensure supply

If anybody is not getting enough safety equipment, they should bring it to my notice. Payments are pending at some stations, but these will be released soon. Balbir S Sidhu, Health Mnister

To make the things worse, Asha workers in some districts have not received their Covid-related remuneration since 2020. In some districts, including Ludhiana, payments have been pending for the past two to three months.

These unsung warriors are doing additional duties like spreading awareness on Covid, screening patients, keeping a check on migrant workers’ inflow, reporting suspected cases and delivering ‘Fateh’ kits to patients on their doorstep. Their regular duties include checking immunisation schedule of babies and pregnant women, distributing iron tablets among women, checking TB patients periodically, etc.

Kirandeep Kaur, president, Asha Workers and Facilitators’ Association, says they are now on the duty of conducting surveys in the villages and meeting Covid positive patients as well.

“Besides a 100 ml bottle of sanitiser and few masks, no safety equipment has been provided to us. We have been demanding that each worker should be given at least a liter of sanitiser, a box of N95 masks, gloves, a gown, oximeter and a steamer,” says Kiran.

Asha workers have been promised Rs 2,500 honorarium for extra Covid work they are doing. “In some districts, Asha workers have not received payments since 2020,” says she.

Rajvir Kaur, another Asha worker, says it is very difficult to convince villagers to go for testing or come out of their houses for the survey. “They hurl abuses and sometimes even throw stones at us as they as they think we will make them test positive,” says Rajvir.

She further says in addition to this, the fear of coming in contact with the virus always looms large over them. Two Asha workers from Punjab have lost their lives while many test positive daily.