Asha workers hold protest demanding permanent salaries & employment

CHENNAI: Asha workers in the State held a protest demanding permanent salaries and employment to asha workers under 45 years of age with 12th standard education to be made permanent as Village Health nurse by the state health department. More than 1,700 asha workers from across Tamil Nadu participated in the protest at Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore on Friday.

Asha workers have been requesting permanent salary since they are not given permanent salary and only an incentive of about Rs 3,000 per month month, with Rs 2,000 through the National Health Scheme of the Union Government and Rs 1000 by the state health department. The members of Tamil Nadu ASHA Paniyalar Sangam participated in the protest.

"We work in rural areas and even hilly regions to ensure that medical services are being provided to the people in such areas. We have contributed greatly towards an improvement in bringing down Maternal Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality Rate but we do not have permanent employment. In neighboring states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and other states, state governments provide Rs 10,000 per month of stipend. More than 30,000 Asha workers are working in all these states. Union Territories like Puducherry have announced Rs 10,000 per month bonus for Asha workers," said association General Secretary, Wahida Nizam.

However, we have 2,650 Asha workers in Tamil Nadu and the government has not given them any bonus. We demand a salary of Rs 24,000 per month and as promised by the health minister during the conference of Asha workers held in Chennai in 2020, Asha workers under 45 years of age with 12th standard education should be made permanent as Village Health nurse," added Wahida.

Asha workers say that there has been no notification on the announcement made by the health minister and even after 3 years, there is no implementation. They have also made representations to the health minister and the Chief Minister in this regard.