Mothers of Mercy: Life of ASHA workers during the pandemic
World Health Organisation (WHO) recently honoured ASHA volunteers for their crucial role in the pandemic. Here's a tribute to India's one million, all-women ASHA volunteers who, through the pandemic,
Matilda Kullu’s day begins at 5am, preparing lunch for her family of four and feeding the cattle at Gargadbahal village of Odisha’s Sundargarh district. Then Kullu hops on her cycle for door-to-door visits among the 964 people, mostly tribal, in her role as an ASHA worker. It took years for Kullu to educate the villagers who would rather perform black magic to treat an illness than visit
Image by Raju Chauhan
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Manobesh Mondol, a fisherman, receives a dose of Covishield vaccine from health workers during the "Vaccination on boat" programme in Bali Island, West Bengal, India, July 12, 2021. The residents of the Bay of Bengal delta endure all the miseries Nature throws at them—from cyclones to erosion. But the pandemic shook the region until the healthcare workers reached them with the vaccine.
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ASHA workers clean the blue vaccine carriers used for vaccine transport at a primary health centre in Hyderabad on January 29, 2021. As&zwnj &zwnjvolunteers,&zwnj &zwnjtheir&zwnj work hours remain &zwnjflexible&zwnj &zwnjand&zwnj &zwnjmany&zwnj ASHA workers prefer &zwnja&zwnj &zwnjpart-time&zwnj &zwnjjob as it lets&zwnj &zwnjthem&zwnj &zwnjtake&zwnj &zwnjcare&zwnj &zwnjof&zwnj &zwnjtheir&
Image by Noah Seelam / AFP
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ASHA workers admonish wily teenagers roaming without face masks during a screening survey for coronavirus in Pandav Nagar, New Delhi on June 26, 2020. By July 2020, authorities had begun a mammoth screening campaign covering all households to check people for signs of Covid-19. ASHA workers and staff from the civic bodies were drafted for screening and setting up new control rooms to coor
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A health worker stretches herself to vaccinate an elderly woman through the car’s window at a drive-in vaccination program in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Kolkata on June 4, 2021. Dozens of health workers died during the pandemic after exposure to the coronavirus, in part because they lacked protective gear. One study of three Indian states by public health researchers at Oxfam i
Image by Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP
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Sunitha K N, an ASHA worker, readies to leave home for work in Mysuru, Karnataka, on May 18, 2021. The health workers earn around Rs 3,000 monthly, plus incentives based on performance. An ASHA worker looks after at least 200 households. Hence, most ASHAs belong to the village or block they reside in and know every household—gaining the trust of the community over time.
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The searing summer heat wasn’t the only deterrent for the ASHA workers Santosh Godara, Poonam Kumawat, and Suman Mahedra, who were conducting an awareness campaign and survey to contact trace possible coronavirus cases in Alakhpura, Sikar District, Rajasthan on May 21, 2021. ASHA workers face suspicion and angry threats from villagers who are superstitious, in denial of the existence of t
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ASHA workers Nirmala, Alka, and Meenakshi talk to a resident during a door-to-door survey after the government eased a nationwide lockdown in Bahadarpur village, Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh on June 9, 2020.&zwnj Their work during the pandemic &zwnjinvolved&zwnj &zwnjregistering the address and &zwnjverifying&zwnj the &zwnjIDs&zwnj &zwnj(details&zwnj &zwnjsuch&zwnj &zwnjas&zwnj Aadhaar&
Image by Xavier Galiana / AFP
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An ASHA worker administers polio drops to a kid during the door to door drive in Gurugram on September 27, 2021. In addition to Covid-19 duties, these workers performed &zwnjtheir&zwnj &zwnjregular&zwnj work&zwnj, &zwnjincluding &zwnjassisting&zwnj &zwnjdeliveries,&zwnj &zwnjimmunisation&zwnj &zwnjdrives,&zwnj &zwnjsterilisation&zwnj &zwnjcamps&zwnj &zwnjand&zwnj &zwnjstaffing&zwnj &zwnjt
Image by Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images
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ASHA and Anganwadi workers protest against the Government over the delay in releasing their salaries at Civil Lines, New Delhi on February 22, 2022. These are the health warriors who battled the Covid-19 pandemic on the ground, yet, their enduring struggle for decent wages and timely compensation continues.
Image by Raj K Raj / Hindustan Times via Getty Images
