Talks with health min fail, ASHAs to intensify stir

Times News Network
Thiruvananthapuram: With the govt offering nothing new besides demanding the withdrawal of their strike on Wednesday, ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists), who have been protesting for the past 38 days demanding post-retirement benefits and an honorarium hike, have decided to go ahead with their indefinite hunger strike plan in front of the Secretariat from Thursday.
Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association said its talks with health minister Veena George on Wednesday failed as the govt was unwilling to accept any of its demands. Association representatives said George asked them to withdraw from the strike, but provided no assurances on the demands. "The minister only said she is pained to see ASHAs agitating in scorching heat. She wanted us to end the agitation voluntarily and go back. That was her demand. We were invited for the talks only to ask us to end the agitation," said Mini, one of the leaders of the agitation committee.
Earlier in the day, opposition leader V D Satheesan had met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and requested him to take the initiative in resolving the strike, leading to a speculation that the CM would convene a discussion with ASHAs. Satheesan had spoken to Vijayan on the matter earlier also, while the latter was in Delhi.
National Health Mission state director Vinay Goyal also held talks with the protesting ASHAs on the day. During the meeting, the director expressed helplessness in increasing their honorarium, citing an acute financial crisis.
Three association leaders will begin the hunger strike at 11am on Thursday as part of an intensified protest. The association has said that it will not end the strike until its demands are met.
George said the protesters were reiterating their demand to raise the honorarium for ASHAs to Rs 21,000 and improve their retirement benefits. "The govt does not oppose increasing their honorarium, but an immediate hike requires consideration of various factors... We requested them to end the ongoing agitation and assured that the state govt would do whatever possible for them," she said.
There are 26,125 ASHAs across the state, with around 400 participating in the protest. Misinformation is spreading in Kerala that ASHAs have additional duties; however, they perform only those tasks outlined in the national guidelines. The central govt has not increased the incentives set in 2006. The protesters were also informed that we would approach the Union health minister directly regarding this matter, George added.
According to the state govt, it has not received any cash grant from the Centre under the National Health Mission for 2023-24 for payment towards various centrally-sponsored schemes, including for ASHAs. The Centre has, however, rejected the state's claims and contended that it has given what was due, but the utilisation certificate has not come from Kerala. It said that once the certificate was received, the requisite amount would be given to ASHAs and the state.