ASHA workers stage protest

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, MAY 9: Over 6000 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) in Meghalaya has demanded the state government to recognize the services they rendered by providing a fixed allocation of monthly payment besides others.

The demand was made under the banner of the ASHA Workers’ Union (AWU) and ASHA Felicitators’ Union (AFU) during a public rally held in the state capital here on Tuesday.

After the rally, a delegation of the AWU and AFU also met the state chief secretary KS Kropha and submitted a memorandum consisting of the 6-point demand for necessary consideration by the state government.

“We want the state government to recognize our services. The work of an ASHA can no longer be taken just as a social work because they also have equal rights to fair payment,” union’s president Haphilin Pyrtuh told reporters.

Stating that in other states ASHAs are getting paid Rs 4000 to Rs 6000, she however said but here in our state, ASHA workers are being given a meager remuneration of only Rs 1000 per month.

This was despite performing selfless duties for the improvement of mother and child under various state health programmes and central schemes, she said while also emphasizing the need to recognize them as government servants.

“If the government wants to improve the health scenario in the state, it should be ready to give proper attention to the ASHA workers,” Pyrtuh said.

According to her, the remuneration for ASHA facilitators should also be looked into.

Asked, the president said that they want the government to ensure that similar incentive and benefits which ASHA workers in other states are getting should be applicable and implemented in the state.

“For instant there is no maternity leave for ASHA workers and felicitators in the state, which comes as a huge disadvantage because due to this they were not able to get the remuneration,” she said.

The other demands include extending of various social security schemes and providing travelling allowances for covering distant places for the purpose of implementing the government scheme.

Meanwhile, the chief secretary has assured the delegation that he would take up the matter with the state government.