ASHA WORKERS AGAIN AT FOREFRONT COMBATING COVID

LUCKNOW : The Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) who played a pivotal role in the screening and providing medical services to people in rural areas, during the first Covid wave, are again at the forefront after the government order on Thursday for screening and monitoring of the migrant workers returning home from various states.

An officer said 1.54 lakh ASHA workers in villages have been assigned the task of screening the migrant workers staying at quarantine centres set up in the villages or in home quarantine.

If any migrant worker is found with Covid symptoms then ASHA workers will alert the nearest health centre, ensure that the infected migrant remains in isolation, he said.

However, a large number of ASHA workers complained that they have not been given basic protective gears and sanitiserduring field visits. Besides, no payment is being made for the survey work and their monthly remuneration is also pending.

Chanda Yadav, an ASHA worker from Gorakhpur said the ASHA workers across UP were assisting the government in the Covid vaccination drive, routine immunization, nutrition distribution, taking care of pregnant women and newborns. After the fresh order by the state government, the ASHA workers are visiting villages to screen the migrant workers and enlisting them as well. Despite the high infection rate, we have not been provided protective gear, dress kits and sanitisers. We have been handed over a mask and were told to visit the villages, she said.

Several ASHA workers have been infected and their family members have urged the health department to arrange for the treatment and hospital admission, said Yadav who is also president of the ASHA workers association. A state government official said the UP unit of the National Health Mission (NHM) has been directed to clear the arrears of the ASHA workers and to provide them with protective gears and gadgets for the field visit. ACS, health, Amit Mohan Prasad said the ASHA workers have been directed to visit the house of quarantined migrant workers after a gap of three days.