The Hindu

Udupi, Jun 9: Members of the ASHA Workers' Association, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), took out a procession and staged a dharna in front of the District Health and Family Welfare office here on Tuesday.

The protesters said that there were nearly 50,000 ASHA workers providing various health services under the Centre's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the State. These workers were not being paid any salary for their services; instead they were being given financial incentives.

However, they did not enjoy even minimum facilities. The Government was not paying much attention to these workers, they said.

Demands

The protesters demanded that the NRHM be made a permanent programme. The services of the ASHA workers should be regularised. Restrooms should be provided for them in primary health centres (PHCs).

Incentives and travelling allowance should be paid by cheque to these workers every month. They should be given social security and a salary of Rs. 1,000 a month.

Harassment of these workers at their work places should be stopped. They should be provided with mobile phones. Accommodation should be provided to them whenever they brought pregnant women from villages to hospitals for delivery. All the arrears of these workers should be released immediately.

As per the norms, there should be one ASHA worker for 1,000 persons in rural areas. But, this was not the case in most of the villages in Udupi district.

The District Maternity Hospital in Udupi allowed only one relative to stay with the patient. There was no provision for the ASHA worker to stay there.

Many a times, the workers brought patients to hospitals by taxi, but the authorities were deducting the taxi fares from their incentives. The workers were being harassed while issuing certificates for having brought pregnant women to the District Maternity Hospital. Sometimes, they were not given these certificates.

Financial incentives for these workers had not been given at the PHC in Padubidri for the last three months. At Brahmavar hospital, they were being paid only Rs. 500 a delivery instead of the Rs. 650 fixed for them, the protesters said.

Convener of the association K. Das Bhandary, president of the Udupi taluk unit Rekha Shetty, president of the district CITU K. Shankar and its general secretary Vishwanath Rai were present.