ASHA workers are helping in the fight against COVID-19, but most without protective equipment

Coronavirus

A status check on ASHA workers across south India who say they are pleading with the government for protective equipment.

Prajwal Bhat

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers are playing a key role in fighting against the spread of coronavirus in India.  The community health volunteers are trained to be the interface between the community and the public healthcare system in India. They are going door-to-door, spreading awareness about coronavirus and crucially, collecting information about those who are likely to be infected with the virus. Some are even recording the temperatures of people who are residing in coronavirus containment zones and of people who have returned from abroad recently. But even though ASHA workers are coming in contact with people who are quarantined at home, they are yet to be provided equipment gloves and hand sanitisers. Some have been given masks but they are not being replaced periodically. “We have written to the state government requesting that masks should be provided periodically and that gloves and hand sanitisers should be distributed to our workers,” Nagalakshmi D, Secretary of Karnataka State Samyukta ASHA Workers' Association. The letter was written on March 24. Protective equipment was promised in many districts of Karnataka, they are yet to be distributed to ASHA workers. In Ballari, the district administration issued a notification detailing the procurement of 20,600 triple layer masks, 1050 N-95 masks and 2060 sanitisers for ASHA workers. But Nagalakshmi, who is based in Ballari, says equipment is yet to reach ASHA workers in the district. ASHA worker in Gadag district of Karnataka A family of 3 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Ballari district on March 30 and Nagalakshmi says, ASHA workers in the district are conducting door-to-door surveys even in Hosapete town, where stringent lockdown measures have been imposed. “Buses are provided for ASHA workers to travel but we request that protective equipment be given to health workers. We are asking for small measures to be taken,” says Nagalakshmi. She notes that in some parts of the state including in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, masks and sanitisers were provided for ASHA workers on Monday. However, the masks are not replaced periodically. ASHA workers in Davangere district of Karnataka The situation is similar in parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. B Praveena, an ASHA worker from Nizamabad in Telangana told TNM that health workers were only provided cloth masks and caps. "We are not provided anything else. We regularly go to households with foreign returneed to enquire if they are showing any symptoms and to check if they are following quarantine guidelines," says Praveena.  She says that the workers pleaded with health department officials to replace their protective equipment but their pleas are yet to be heard. Kusuma Kumari, an ASHA worker from Polavaram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, says that she was initially given 20 single-use masks and a hand sanitiser. But the masks and hand sanitisers were not replaced even though they ran out within two weeks.  ASHA workers in Hassan district of Karnataka Similarly, ASHA workers in Thiruvananthapuram are going door to door to collect information about people with symptoms of coronavirus. A section of ASHA workers were provided with masks, gloves and sanitisers periodically. This was confirmed by Dhanya SC, an ASHA worker in Kerala’s capital city. Few ASHA workers told TNM that the equipment provided was not sufficient in number. There have also been reports of a health worker in Kerala contracting the disease. TNM had earlier reported how doctors and nurses in Telangana and Tamil Nadu had raised concerns about the lack of safety gear including masks and gloves.  Similarly, ASHA workers in all four states were also pressed into service after the outbreak of coronavirus. But they have been advised to keep sufficient distance from residents while collecting information and carrying out surveys even as they plead for protective equipment.  Read: ‘Who will protect us?’: Doctors and nurses in TN, Telangana allege lack of safety gear With inputs from Saritha S Balan and Charan Teja    

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