ASHA boycotts pulse polio campaign

SHILLONG, JAN 19:  Over 4000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in Meghalaya boycotted the three-day national pulse polio campaign that kicked off on Monday to protest against the state government’s nonchalant attitude towards their demands.

“We have decided to boycott the national pulse polio campaign in the state in view of the failure of the state government to comply with our demands,” Joint Action Committee of ASHA Facilitators and Workers (JAC-AFW) president Haphilin Pyrtuh told reporters at the sideline of a general meeting held on Monday.

The meeting was attended by more than 2000 ASHAs including facilitators and workers coming from across the state including Garo hills region.

The demand to regularize the ASHA workers as full time government employee, remuneration should paid to ASHA for conducting home delivery and full set of material for conducting home delivery besides other demands were seen displayed in the banners and placards held by the protestors during the meeting.

“All these years, the ASHA workers have been treated just as a health activist but the responsibility upon them is huge. Therefore, we demand that it is time that the government recognizes them as full time government employees as they cannot survive on the meager wages paid to them,” Pyrtuh said.

Pyrthuh also said the demands include – the enhancement of the wages, fixed honorarium and clearing the pending dues of the ASHAs for the direct observation treatment (DOT) of TB patients. “We demand the government to increase our wages from Rs 75 to Rs 150 per day in relation to the polio campaign,” she said while pointing out that at present a total amount of Rs 900 was sanctioned by the government per polio booth.

Ironically, a booth which has about four to six ASHAs have to divide the Rs 900 among themselves, Pyrthuh informed adding “When calculated, one member out of four will get only Rs 75 each, one out of five will get only Rs 60 and one out of six will get only a meager of Rs 50.”

“We feel that the minimum wage fixed by the government is totally ‘unreasonable’ as the ASHA  has to work from 8am to 4pm during the three day polio immunization campaign,” Pyrthuh added.

Pyrtuh further informed that the JAC had submitted memorandums to the state government which include the state health minister, chief secretary, DMHO and the Director of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on several occasions during the past two years since 2013.

“However, the government has fail to respond to our representations but instead choose to turn a deaf ear, which has disappointed the ASHA workers and facilitators,” Pyrtuh said adding that the health minister had also promised to call the ASHAs for a meeting this month but has not till now.

The pulse polio immunization for children below the age of 5 years on Monday will be followed by a house to house search and coverage activity on January 20 and 21.

Pyrthuh said the different CHCs, PHCs and dispensaries in the rural areas of the state are also affected by the strike of the ASHAs.

Pyrthuh also informed the committee had received information that some of the ASHAs who refused to attend the campaign were also threatened that they are going to be terminated.

“But we want to sent a clear message to those who have threatened that if an ASHA is just a health activist, then it should depend on her whether she works or not. Again if she is just an activist, the government should stop all its conditions,” Pyrthuh said.

The ASHA also reminded health minister AL Hek, who during the Asha Diwas on August last year, admitted that it is difficult for the health department to function without the assistant from the ASHA. She said the minister had promised that he would take up the issues with the authorities in Delhi so that fixed salary to all the ASHA can be given for their contributions. –By Our Reporter