WHO award injects pride in 'ill-paid' ASHA health workers

Mumbai: The World Health Organisation on Monday conferred the Global Health Leaders' Award on the millions of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs) from India for their role in linking the community with the health systems. They were one of the six recipients of the award which also honoured work in the fight against leprosy, anti-stigma in psychiatry and polio volunteers from Afghanistan killed in the course of their duties.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who himself decides the awardees in this category, said ASHAs worked to provide maternal care and immunisation for children against vaccine-preventable diseases, and treatment for hypertension and tuberculosis and core areas of health promotion even in the midst of the pandemic.

TOI spoke to ASHA workers across the state who were elated by the global recognition but wanted it to translate into better wages and working conditions. "It is great that a global organisation like WHO has recognised our work and bestowed this honour on us. But we can't run homes or work efficiently if we continue to be low-paid, overworked and undervalued," said Netradeep Patil, an ASHA from Kolhapur.

Anandi Awanghade from Satara echoed the view. She said ASHAs are paid a pithy sum of Rs 5,500-Rs 8,000 (with incentives) every month and even that is highly erratic. "Our salaries don't come every month. We get paid once in four months or sometimes six months. Many of us have to borrow to run our homes and yet ASHAs show up to work without fail," she said, adding that the WHO recognition makes her proud of her work.

During Covid, hundreds of ASHAscontracted the infection and nearly 50 succumbed to it, as per Maharashtra ASHA Gatpravartka Federation. While the government glorified them as Covid warriors, ASHAs grappled with massive shortage of gloves and sanitisers on the ground, said Awanghade. ASHAs also came under attack during the vaccination drive as they went knocking on people's homes to convince them to take the shot.

The state has nearly 71,000 ASHAs. An ASHA worker from Nanded said when she joined in 2017, they were supposed to work in four to five programmes. "Over years, the programme increased to 25, then 33, and now we are working on 72 projects, but our remuneration has not grown proportionately," she said. The salary they have received last month came after five months. Dr Abhijit More of Jay Swasthya Abhiyan said ASHAs must be treated respectfully and given status of permanent employees.