Bengaluru, Jul 10: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers under the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday held protests in different parts of Karnataka, demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and a salary of at least Rs 12,000 per month.
According to Madhu Kumari, an ASHA worker from Kalaburgi, ASHA workers currently receive a salary of Rs 3,000 per month.
"Our demand is to increase our wages to at least Rs 12,000 per month. We have been making this demand for the last six months but we have not received any response from the authorities. We will not go back to work until we are given an appropriate response. We did not want to create a difficult situation but the government has given us no choice," Kumari told ANI.
Clad in their signature pink saris, the women were holding posters in their hands and raising slogans to demand appropriate salary for their work and the necessary equipment to protect themselves from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Farhana, an ASHA worker protesting in Shivamogga, said that the women have been making demands for PPE kits since June 30. "We have been taking care of COVID patients for the last few weeks but have not received adequate PPE kits. A few of us received some in the beginning but they were not enough. We are not even given hand sanitiser or masks to protect ourselves," she added.
"We have sent letters to the District Commissioner's Office and to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare but our pleas have gone unheard. We are protesting to get the attention of the concerned authorities," she added.
They also demanded that authorities to conduct their COVID-19 tests as they have to deal with patients infected with the virus.
Sajida, an ASHA worker in Kalaburagi said, "We are very stressed about the COVID situation. We take care of sick people day in and day out, but no one is there to take care of us. We want the government to conduct COVID tests for all ASHA workers in the state."
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Dear All, First up all we thanks our government to take initiative action to success the plan. We all kasaragod people should proud to hear now, we have best medical college hospital in our native. Whenever their is an emergency, our ambulance runs to Mangalore in fast drive, where driver keep his life in death mode to save patient valuable life... We respect our Ambulance team with salute... Why we need to keep Ambulance & patient life for more time. We will get best efforts from our government.... If we have Teacher minister with us, we should not afraid of any body. She will look best for us, to get best meditation doctors for endosulfan, heart , kidney, etc. We can say to all we also has best medical college for all of citizen internal and external. Thanks Kerala State Government to support Kasaragod. Especially all kasaragod Gulf and other District Trust including me ,we should have best hand for any kind of help to promote for our Kasaragod Medical Collage. In the God we will success. Whenever an gulf comes for vacation, should have visit, if we can do some or share some more support. I love kasaragod, we want him fully happiness, I need to enjoy Eid, onam, Christmas with my brother and sister
In order to promote govt hospital and to ensure less expensive consultation, govt should improve hospital/medical college facilities and political leaders should go to govt hospitals/ medical colleges for consultation
Never.. That is GOVT medical college. So doctors wont get much benefit compared to PRIVATE MEDICAL COLLEGE
Doctors too. Many are from Kerala. They will go this MC
If it came out good then, some private hospitals in mangaluru may lose many patients.
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