Since Tuesday, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, who are also the front line workers against the COVID-19 battle, are on strike for demand of better pay and incentives in Delhi.

These ASHA workers are on field conducting door-to-door screening and also observing patients with mild or no symptoms in home isolation, besides from their work associated with containment of COVID-19.

They have earned incentives by performing door-to-door immunization drives and also by getting senior citizens and pregnant women to dispensaries. They had received Rs 3,000 per month as core incentive and Rs 1,000 for COVID duty. But now they are demanding at least Rs 10,000 as a fixed salary for every month.

Kavita Yadav, state coordinator of Delhi ASHA Workers Association said that ASHA workers come in direct contact with COVID-positive patients and are exposed to the coronavirus in the same way as doctors and other healthcare workers. But, they are not being paid enough to eat nutritious food to safeguard immunity. They need at least Rs 10,000-15,000 per month to survive.

She further said that the decision to go on a strike and boycott all government work, including COVID duty, was taken on 21st July. Karnataka’s ASHA workers are receiving Rs 10,000 a month and even they should be paid equally.

Each ASHA worker manages 400 homes in their respective areas and encourages people to get children and pregnant women for immunization. Nowadays, they help auxiliary nurses in providing oximeters to patients who are in home isolation. However, the nurses wear PPE kits, and these workers don’t even get masks, gloves or sanitizers.

She further said that the work has become risky in the current situation. Their routine work has been stopped as dispensaries are not functioning and incentives have also stopped. She said that adding Rs 4,000 isvery less as several workers are breadwinners for their families. The government is not thinking about them. Even though they are offered Rs 10 per house for surveys, Rs 100 for the 1st visit to a COVID patient’s house. They also receive Rs 100 for food and Rs 1 crore insurance, however they will not withdraw the strike unless Rs 10,000 is paid every month.

Source: ET Healthworld