Asha workers oppose evening meetings

NASHIK: Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) workers are demanding not to keep any of their meetings in the evening. They also want a "bus drop" if meetings are held after sunset.
This demand comes in the backdrop of Monday's incident where two Asha workers were allegedly assaulted by a 108 ambulance driver.
The demand has been put up through the Maharashtra health department and the Asha union affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress.
The Asha workers, who have presented the memorandum to district civil surgeon Suresh Jagdale said that they work round-the-clock in rural areas, due to which they have to travel late at night. Hence, it is necessary to have resting rooms for them at the sub-centres , rural hospitals and district hospitals.
There are a total of 3,672 Asha workers in the district, 340 facilitators and 402 part-time lady attendants in the district. Asha workers carry out a number of health related programmes in their respective villages, like spreading awareness about diseases, immunisation programmes, working on institutionalised maternal deliveries, etc.
As most Asha workers have to attend meetings at the taluka level and district level, they have put up a demand for all meetings to end by 4pm, so that they have time to reach home.
Ashas have also complained of being mistreated by medical officers of primary health centres and rural hospitals.
On backdrop of the July 25 incident in Girnare Rural Hospital, where a 30-year-old Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) was assaulted by a driver on the '108 ambulance on call', the Ashas in the district have put up a demand of not keeping any of their meetings in evenings, while buses should be made available for them to return home.
The demand has been put up by Ashas through their Maharashtra Health Department Asha union affiliated to All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)
On July 25, the ambulance driver Suresh Jadhav, 35, resident of Surgana had allegedly molested and physically assaulted two Asha workers over some issue.