Mumbai: Nobody can really identify them as they go about their jobs in villages across Maharashtra. They work quietly, far away from the spotlight. All the while they tell people the importance of isolation, of hygiene and of sanitisation to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And what do they get for it… a measly Rs 1,000 a month which comes to approximately Rd 30 per day.
ASHA Workers
They are the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers. They work in rural areas of Maharashtra where they visit door-to-door educating people about maternal and child health. These community workers also harp on the importance of contraception, immunisation and sanitation. Now with over 3,000 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, their job profiles have changed.
The value of our life is just 30 rupees, according to the government,” ASHA worker Alka Nalawade, has been quoted as saying by the ‘BBC’ website.” The government is paying us 1,000 rupees a month for corona-related work. That is 30 rupees daily for putting our life in danger,’ Nalawade adds.
Currently Maharashtra has around 70,000 ASHA workers. Nalawade has to put her life on the line because she is a single mother and it is her only way to earn some money for her family. And as she and others of her community fight against COVID-19, they all face a risk they have never faced before… that of death.
Lack of protective equipment
With India facing an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) getting the right gear for protection is a dream for the ASHA workers. They also do not have proper sanitizers as they talk to the villagers on the importance of sanitization. They have their own home-made sanitizers – a bottle of spirit which they add to water before rubbing it on their hands. As for the cotton masks, they daily wash and reuse them. An ASHA worker who identified herself as Karuna Shinde told the ‘BBC’ that she uses a scarf to cover her face.
Government apathy
Isn’t the Maharashtra government aware of the problems the ASHA workers face? Rajendra Yadravkar, the junior health minister of Maharashtra said that whenever there is a shortage of safety equipment, the local administration has been asked to look into it.
“ASHAs have been putting their lives in danger on a meagre salary. They should be protected. It’s the government’s responsibility to support them,” he said.
But such promises do not really come as a comfort balm for the families of the ASHA workers. “My husband insists that I shouldn’t go to work. He says other people such as nurses and doctors get paid a proper salary, let them do this work,” Shinde states.
The families of the ASHA workers are also concerned about their safety. Reports of health workers being attacked adds to their plight.
All this for a salary of Rs 1,000 per month? The question comes back time and again to haunt everyone save those who pay such meagre salaries.
Plight of ASHA workers
Nalawade says if she would have got 10 times the amount by working as a daily wager on a farm. “Don’t we deserve more,” she asks. “If I get infected with coronavirus will I treated for Rs 30,” she states.
Nalawade also talks about the social stigma they face while trying to do their job. They go to educate people about coronavirus, yet they are forced to stand outside as people fear contracting infection from the ASHA workers.
“We are working for the people, but if the same people are going to behave with us this way, what are we supposed to do,” laments Nalawade.
The ASHA workers also crave for recognition for their efforts in the fight against COVID-19. “Nobody even mentions our work,” says Anjana Wankhede. “From the prime minister to the chief minister, everybody only praises doctors and police.”
Agencies
