Dimapur, June 29 (MExN): The Nagaland Speakers' Forum has appealed to the state government to provide monthly salaries for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers and include them as state government employees.
Making the appeal through a press release on Tuesday, the forum stated that ASHA workers function as “the pillar and backbone of village health care.” However, it said that ASHAs are often ‘left in the cold’ when it comes to remuneration, permanent status as government employee and job benefits. Many of the workers depend solely on the meager incentives received through this volunteer service as a source of livelihood, it added.
It also stated that ASHAs have been working on a par with medical professionals in the fight against the pandemic, performing COVID-19 duties in addition to their regular work which includes assisting deliveries, immunization drives, treating basic illness and injury with first aid, keeping demographic records, sterilization camps, encourage family planning, improving village sanitation and staffing the Primary Health Centres and Health and Wellness Centres.
As such, it requested the state government to appoint ASHA workers as permanent government job holders with monthly salaries.
