In protest against non-payment of their meagre incentives, accredited social health activists (ASHAs) decided to go on strike from today.
As healthcare workers at the grassroots, ASHAs have a tremendously vital role to play in poor and largely rural Meghalaya and their importance only grew with the coming of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Their strike could seriously hurt the efforts to fight the coronavirus.
The decision to launch strike action was announced by the president of the Meghalaya ASHA Workers Union, Merajune Myrsing, and adviser, Sony Kharjana, at a press conference here today.
“All the ASHA workers across the state under our banner will stop serving the people and will not cooperate with the government on the basis that the government is playing with the lives of ASHA workers,” Myrsing said. “We have received a big lesson over the false promises of the government during the fight against the pandemic. ASHA workers are also human beings and cannot serve the people on an empty stomach.”
The state government has yet to clear dues owed to the ASHAs and has not acquiesced to their demand to be paid in line with other healthcare workers.
Myrsing said that Health Minister AL Hek had recently announced that Rs 1.60 crore had been released to pay the ASHAs, but this amounts to around Rs 2,000 for each worker, which is pittance. “If the government can pay Rs 18,000 salary for new appointees in fighting Covid-19 then why not for ASHAs who are working hard with body and soul to fight against the sharp rise of Covid in the state,” she added.
The union members had met with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Hek in the past to raise their issues but with no success, though they did receive plenty of reassurances and promises.
