Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

ASHA workers feel letdown

VISAKHAPATNAM: It is ‘nirasha’ (hopelessness), which dampened the spirit of nearly 70,700 women engaged in the State as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) under a World Bank-funded project to improve status of health among women and children.

Two years after they were recruited as ASHA workers and attached to various primary health centres, the women belonging to poorer strata of society are now running from pillar to post for increase in incentives. The project was launched under Reproductive and Child Health-2 Scheme by the Central Government in various States with an outlay of Rs.795.20 crores.

It is primarily aimed at stopping infant and maternal mortality, promoting institutional deliveries and ensuring good antenatal care by keeping a watch on couples in reproductive age. On an average, one ASHA worker has to look after 1,000 people. In Visakhapatnam, 2,300 workers are engaged to look after areas coming under 42 PHCs in the plain areas.

They are paid Rs.25 for registering early pregnancy, Rs.50 for completion of three antenatal check-up with a doctor, Rs.150 for institutional delivery, Rs.100 for postnatal care for newborn child and the mother for a month, Rs.50 for immunisation of polio, Hepatitis B etc. to infants up to five months and Rs.50 for administration of measles immunisation and Vitamin-A among SC and STs. They get Rs.50 for identification of low birth weight baby of any community, health and nutrition counselling for three months. In the case of others from below poverty line, Rs.25 is given for antenatal check-up, Rs.100 for institutional delivery, Rs.50 for postnatal and neonatal care and Rs.25 for measles immunisation.

“Initially the remuneration was okay. But after covering many, the earning has come down to bare minimum due to increased coverage of couples in reproductive age. Our pleas for payment of Rs.2,000 per ASHA worker has fallen on deaf ears,” says P. Mani, district honorary president of AP Voluntary Health Workers’ Union.

To cap it all, ASHA workers are forced to work fulltime with filarial, HIV/AIDS tests, birth and death, marriage registrations, PHC work and national survey on health. “We had to conduct the survey with 62 questions for which an incentive of Rs.1 to 3 per household was paid. Even we are involved in Arogyasri and ration card works,” Ms. Mani regretted.

After the union fought, the government sanctioned a paltry payment of Rs.40 per month to each ASHA worker towards travel and lunch at weekly review meetings. They feel that they should be trained as ANM workers.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Workshop on Begg technique held
New chairman for VPT
Seminar on upkeep of ancient temples
Akhanda Bhajan concludes
Port workers’ meet to focus on wage revision
ASHA workers feel letdown
Andhra University degree exams from March 2
It’s time for an outing with family, friends
Surprise visits: Sridhar keen on follow-up action
Congress eyes Bheemunipatnam municipal chairpersonship
Uncertainty over sanction of incentive to farmers
Money ‘matters’
Visakhapatnam today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu