Kerala govt forms panel to look into demands of striking ASHA workers
The Kerala government has constituted a five-member committee to study the demands of protesting Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and submit a report within three months.
The order forming the committee was issued only this week, though it had been announced last month following talks with the striking ASHA wokers.
The five-member committee will be chaired by Haritha V. Kumar, director, Women and Child Development department. R. Subhash, Health additional secretary, will be its convener. Two additional secretaries from the Finance and Labour departments will be nominated to the committee as members. K.M. Seena, head of Social Development at the National Health Mission, will be the third member.
The committee will meet representatives of ASHAs organisations and trade union representatives and submit its report.
ASHAs, under the banner of Kerala ASHA Health Workers' Association (KAHWA), have been protesting since February 2025 seeking an increase in their remuneration and retirement benefits.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
2 dead, over 500 suffering in diarrhoea outbreak in Odishas Jajpur
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Jajpur/ Bhubaneswar, Jun 11 (PTI) Two persons died and over 500 people are suffering in the diarrhoea outbreak in Odisha's Jajpur district, officials said on Wednesday. A 70-year-old man was declared dead on arrival at the Vyasanagar Hospital, while a 34-year-old died at the Danagadi Community Health Centre, District Collector P Anvesha Reddy said. Among the worst-hit areas are Dharamsala, Jajpur, Danagadi, Korei and Rasulpur blocks, where hospitals are overwhelmed with patients showing gastrointestinal symptoms, officials said. The waterborne disease was initially detected in Dharmasala on Monday night, they said. More than 20 critically ill patients were sent to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Director of Public Health Nilakantha Mishra said. Health Secretary Aswathy S said a multi-sectoral team has been sent to the district to identify the cause behind the outbreak. A team of doctors have also been sent to the district to ensure proper treatment of patients, while the district administration has also mobilised additional manpower to the hospitals, she said. The collector, meanwhile, visited the hospitals where the diarrhoea patients are undergoing treatment, and urged the people to consume only boiled or disinfected water. Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Prakash Chandra Bal said house-to-house surveys were being conducted in the affected villages. 'Accompanied by ASHA and Anganwadi workers, the state-level team is meeting families of patients and collecting water and stool samples to help determine the outbreak's source," he said. ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and multi-purpose health workers have been supplied with halogen tablets, medicines, ORS packets and awareness materials for distribution among the people, they said. People have been advised to take all precautionary measures and adhere to hygienic practices, they added. PTI COR BBM BBM SOM First Published: June 12, 2025, 01:00 IST
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
2 dead, over 500 suffering in diarrhoea outbreak in Odisha's Jajpur
Jajpur/ Bhubaneswar, Two persons died and over 500 people are suffering in the diarrhoea outbreak in Odisha's Jajpur district, officials said on Wednesday. A 70-year-old man was declared dead on arrival at the Vyasanagar Hospital, while a 34-year-old died at the Danagadi Community Health Centre, District Collector P Anvesha Reddy said. Among the worst-hit areas are Dharamsala, Jajpur, Danagadi, Korei and Rasulpur blocks, where hospitals are overwhelmed with patients showing gastrointestinal symptoms, officials said. The waterborne disease was initially detected in Dharmasala on Monday night, they said. More than 20 critically ill patients were sent to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Director of Public Health Nilakantha Mishra said. Health Secretary Aswathy S said a multi-sectoral team has been sent to the district to identify the cause behind the outbreak. A team of doctors have also been sent to the district to ensure proper treatment of patients, while the district administration has also mobilised additional manpower to the hospitals, she said. The collector, meanwhile, visited the hospitals where the diarrhoea patients are undergoing treatment, and urged the people to consume only boiled or disinfected water. Chief District Medical Officer Prakash Chandra Bal said house-to-house surveys were being conducted in the affected villages. "Accompanied by ASHA and Anganwadi workers, the state-level team is meeting families of patients and collecting water and stool samples to help determine the outbreak's source," he said. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation teams are working on disinfection of drinking water sources, officials said. ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and multi-purpose health workers have been supplied with halogen tablets, medicines, ORS packets and awareness materials for distribution among the people, they said. People have been advised to take all precautionary measures and adhere to hygienic practices, they added.
Hans India
21 hours ago
- Hans India
Mobile medical camp at Polakal PHC inspected
Polakal: Dr Raghu, the District Nodal Officer, visited the Ayushman Arogya Mandir under the jurisdiction of the Polakal Primary Health Centre, where a mobile medical camp was being conducted as part of a public health outreach initiative on Tuesday. During his interaction, Dr Raghu stressed the importance of marrying at the legally and biologically appropriate age. He emphasized that the legal age for marriage is 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys. Marrying at an earlier age, particularly during the formative years of adolescence, poses severe health and social consequences, especially for girls. He also highlighted that child marriage is a punishable offense under Indian law. Marrying girls below 18 or boys below 21 is a criminal act, and strict action will be taken against the bridegroom, parents or guardians, wedding participants, priests, and anyone directly or indirectly involved in such marriages. He urged citizens to report any such incidents immediately to the authorities through the Child Helpline – 1098. He reiterated that promoting child marriage can lead to imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. As part of this awareness campaign, he instructed healthcare personnel to educate families about the legal and health implications of child marriage under the slogan: The program was attended by Dr. Anees Nayak, Medical Officer; Raju Miya, Field Supervisor; Surekha, Social Health Officer; Health Worker Maryamma; ASHA workers; and Projectionist Khalee.
