ASHA workers just got an award from WHO, but it hardly changes anything

ASHA, which means hope in Hindi, stands for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). ASHA has more than 10 lakh active women workers and has been awarded and honoured by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The ASHA workers given the WHO Director- General’s Global Health Leader’s Award for its role in linking the community with the health system to ensure that those from rural India can access primary health care services.  

Especially during Covid-19 pandemic, ASHA workers worked actively with the health departments to ensure the essential supply of medical services to people in rural India.

After being honoured by the WHO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the ASHA workers  for their role in ensuring a healthy India.

ASHA, which has female volunteers from marginalized sections, faces several challenges today. From a low pay-scale to lack of proper training and hostile attitude of people towards them, these workers face several issues.

WHY SUCH HOSTILITY FROM PEOPLE?                                                   

One of the biggest concerns that ASHA workers raised during the Covid-19 lockdown was the hostility from people. They said that people would not disclose actual information and would fret when questions were asked.

Rekha Sharma, 39, an ASHA worker in Ballabhgarh spoke to Hindustan Times over a harrowing experience when she went for a door-to-door survey to Sector-65 of Faridabad.  'People were aggressive and abusive. They took out wooden sticks from their houses and threatened to take us hostage.  Within 10 minutes, police team arrived at the spot. Although they had tried to intervene, they too were assaulted with sticks and rods,' she said.

At some places, the ASHA workers even refused to venture alone fearing threat to their physical well-being.

LOW PAY-SCALE

No concrete support from government authorities is another reason why ASHA workers are struggling these days. For example, in Uttar Pradesh, the salary a ASHA worker gets is around Rs 2,750. Of this, Rs 2,000 comes from central government while Rs 750 comes from state government.

OVERWORKED

ASHA workers are overworked and underpaid. They are working with minimal resources at their end.

Some of them who come from Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes are even looked down upon. 'We are treated as untouchables. Some people refused to sit with us. Sometimes we would not even have access to drinking water,' Matilda Kullu, an ASHA worker told BRUT India.