Despite meagre payment ASHAs deliver service
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 09 2013: Inspite of shouldering huge and important assignments related to health issues of women, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) gets meagre allowances incompatible to needs of the modern day.

apart from the low incentives provided for specific cases, ASHAs often endure embarrassing situations as patients or their relatives assume these health workers to be interfering in domestic problems, expressed Lukram Romi (34) w/o L Inaobi of Sekmai Mamang Leikai, an ASHA engaged for Sekmai area.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Romi conceded that as an ASHA she usually makes the first move of approaching newly married women in the locality to enquire on their health conditions, specially during pregnancy.

While some families are against the idea of a stranger enquiring about married life of others, such concepts change upon realising duty and advantages of visits by ASHAs, she said while informing that tasks of an ASHA include visiting a married woman after three months of marriage, assistance in undertaking regular health checks till delivery of the child and continuing the assistance 42 days after the delivery.

ASHAs Sekmai area

Launched in most part of the country in 2005, the project initiated by the Ministry of health & Family Welfare was implemented in Manipur in September 2006, said Romi, who has been an ASHA since 2007 .

Welcoming change in attitude of the common citizens towards ASHAs upon realising dedication and service rendered by the health workers, she nevertheless recounted a particular incident in which the husband beat the wife when the latter suggested that he undertake HIV test.

Apart from assaulting the wife, Romi said she too was asked not to show up ever again.

With HIV tests mandatory for pregnant women, ASHAs first have to convince the lady for the same and whenever there is suspicion on the health status of the lady she is advised to prevail upon the husband for the same test also, the health worker explained while expressing that with HIV/AIDS still being a sensitive issue avoided by many the matter has to be dealt with extreme caution.

Apart from assisting pregnant women upto delivery and after, ASHAs advise and help a woman with multiple children to undergo family planning in addition to attending emergency cases, she said.

With regard to allowances, Romi said under Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) an ASHA gets Rs 100 for getting a pregnant woman registered in a Government health centre, mostly community health centres, Rs 350 for services rendered during the pre-delivery period, Rs 250 for home visits after delivery, Rs 100 for post-delivery vaccinations and Rs 20 for family planning initiatives.

Along with these services, ASHAs inform the pregnant women that they are entitled to receive one-time allowance of Rs 700 under the National Rural health Mission, in case the subject is from a rural area while for urban areas the entitlement is Rs 600, Romi conveyed while pointing out that, with the exception of purchasing medicines, delivery at Government medical centres do not entail any expenditure.

It is said that Manipur has about 3878 ASHAs and they need to attend training programmes.

In recognition of their service, the Government provide mobile phone handsets, transistor, rain-coat, cycle, torch-light and uniform to each of the ASHAs, said Romi who desired that allowances of ASHAs be compatible to the entitlement of anganwadi workers and helpers so as to boost morale of the health workers.

She also opined that significant decline in mortality during delivery in recent years might be due to the service and assistance being provided by ASHAs.