Asha workers' legwork leveraged like never before

Shantha (name changed), 36, an Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) worker in a village in Bagalkot district visits around 50 houses in a day. Working for long hours has become a norm for her since the Covid-19 outbreak in March.

During the course of a day, she counsels an elderly couple, delivers medicines to a pregnant woman, takes newborns and mothers to the district hospital, keeps a watch on city-returnees who are home quarantined, enforces social distancing and educates a small crowd of people near the village bus stand about using sanitisers and masks.

She also documents each activity by taking photographs and videos, to be submitted to a higher official. Shantha does all this with ease and without complaining, because she knows she is responsible for the village’s health.

With over 40,000 Asha workers across Karnataka working tirelessly to protect the communities from Covid-19, administration and society look at them in awe.

“Our work has suddenly become visible. But does appreciation ensure our safety? Does recognition fill our stomach?” Shantha asks.

She gets a monthly salary of Rs 4,000. Though she is eligible for some incentives, she doesn’t get them due to technical glitches.

With masks and sanitisers in limited supply, she is forced to buy low-priced items on her own. “I can’t afford to buy more effective masks. I haven’t got gloves,” she says.

A steady flow of people returning to the villages demands that Asha workers are alert 24x7. “Many of them don’t inform about their return fearing home quarantine. Thankfully, villagers have remained vigilant even after the lockdown period and update me,” she says.

During our 30-minute telephonic conversation, Shantha had got four calls from her fellow villagers informing her about a family that will return the next day.

Shantha, however, feels her situation is much better than those who have to work in coronavirus-affected areas. Though her village has not recorded a Covid-19 case so far, she is anxious and worried about her health, that of her family and hundreds of people she meets every day. A sense of resilience, however, obscures her fears.

Over 1.25 lakh Anganwadi workers, who work alongside Asha workers on Covid-19 duty, have not been provided with even basic protective gear - be it sanitiser or mask, says S Varalakshmi, president, Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association.

Now, Covid-19 cases are emerging among these frontline warriors.

Equally worrying is the toll that the extra work and stress is taking on their heath.