Latest news with #ASHAs
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
KAHWA accuses Kerala government of being vengeful towards ASHAs
The Kerala ASHA Health Workers' Association (KAHWA) has accused the Kerala government of being vengeful towards ASHAs, close on the heels of a statement made by the Chief Minister that the government was not prepared to enter into any compromise with the ASHAs in the matter of an enhanced pay package. At a press conference here on Monday, KAHWA leaders accused the government of slashing ASHAs' honorarium of ₹7,000 by bringing in new caveats regarding incentives. They alleged that the majority of ASHAs had received only ₹3,500 in April as honorarium in place of the usual ₹7,000. They said that one of the primary demands raised by ASHAs had been that the 10 conditions linked to the full payment of the honorarium be dropped. The Health Minister, during discussions, had agreed to non-conditional payment of honorarium. However, the subsequent government order released by the government regarding the same had been ambiguous and the ASHAs had claimed that rather than drop the conditions fully, the government had tagged the same to the incentives received by ASHAs. The government had denied this allegation. KAHWA leaders said that as per the 'new' conditions, ASHAs, whose fixed incentive is ₹1,000 and whose performance incentive is less than ₹500, will henceforth receive only ₹3,500 as honorarium. Thus, many ASHAs across districts had received only ₹3,500 as the honorarium for April, they said. They demanded that the new condition, which cuts the honorarium of ASHAs, be withdrawn immediately. The KAHWA also alleged that the government, despite promises, continued to maintain an erratic schedule of payment of honorarium and incentives. By slashing the honorarium and not making payments properly, the government was trying to impose a financial squeeze on ASHAs. Indefinite strike The indefinite strike launched by ASHAs under the banner of KAHWA entered the 113th day on Monday. The KAHWA claimed that the strike was being prolonged because of the government's undemocratic, anti-labour and anti-woman stance towards ASHAs' fair demand for a better pay. Meanwhile, KAHWA members have been carrying on their Statewide tour of all districts, to generate public support towards their cause. They have toured nine districts in the past 29 days and the public outpouring of support has been immense, KAHWA leaders said. ASHAs will take out a mega rally in Thiruvananthapuram on June 18, at the conclusion of their Statewide tour.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Focus on heat-resilience despite the monsoon
At a national conference on climate and health titled 'India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future', recently, a trade union leader shared the lived reality of garment workers in sweltering factories, while a climate modeller spoke about wet-bulb temperatures — two equally important perspectives that are reflective of science and the lived reality. The conference showed the power of unlikely collaborations: paediatricians with architects, maternal health experts with city engineers, and academicians with policymakers. The monsoon may have set in early, but the fact that cannot be ignored is that India did face (and will face) yet another season of intense heat; the toll on public health is impossible to ignore. From dehydration and heatstroke to exacerbated chronic illnesses, extreme heat is pushing the health system to its limits. Yet, our response remains siloed and heavily skewed toward crisis care (hospital beds, intravenous (IV) fluids, and emergency admissions) when it should be grounded in prevention. For India's health system to address the challenges of a warming world, it must evolve from reactive care to proactive and preventive action, and must also be interdisciplinary. Prevention begins with primary care India's primary health-care system is the first line of defence, but it is not climate ready. Professionals at health and wellness centres, primary health centres and frontline Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers are well-placed to act as heat-safety champions. With proper training and protocols, they can alert communities, check on vulnerable patients, and spread simple yet life-saving tips such as staying hydrated, avoiding midday exertion, and spotting early signs of heat stress. Linking early warning systems from meteorological departments to local health networks can trigger rapid community action. Imagine a heat alert triggering messages from ASHAs to village WhatsApp groups, door-to-door visits to elderly residents, and the distribution of hydration kits in advance. These actions have saved lives in cities such as Ahmedabad and have the potential to be scaled across rural India. Additionally, integrating prevention into routine chronic care is critical as people with heart disease, diabetes, kidney conditions, and mental health issues are especially vulnerable. During summer, clinicians must adjust medications, counsel patients on heat safety precautions, and closely monitor high-risk individuals. Clinical protocols must catch up Despite rising cases of heat-related illness, many health-care providers still do not screen for heat exposure in routine health checkups. Heat stroke is often misdiagnosed, or worse, missed entirely especially in busy emergency settings. We need clear, standardised clinical protocols for diagnosing and managing heat illnesses, along with regular summer drills in hospitals to ensure readiness. Dedicated 'heat corners' in emergency departments, pre-stocking of cooling kits at health centres, and post-discharge follow-ups for patients with heat illnesses are all simple but powerful steps towards a truly preventive approach. The heat-health crisis cannot be tackled by the health sector alone. Preventing illness is not just about treating symptoms. It means reducing exposure in the first place. This requires coordinated action across different sectors and disciplines. Urban planners must rethink housing design and public spaces. Water departments must ensure access to reliable supply during peak summer months. Labour departments need to enforce protections such as regulated outdoor working hours. Further, climate scientists must collaborate and work closely with health officials to guide timely, data-driven, targeted interventions. India should move beyond the model of 'centres of excellence' and build networks of excellence forming teams that bring together public health, climate science, urban development, labour rights, and grassroots voices. These networks can co-design solutions rooted in lived reality — from misting shelters in slums to cool roofing in Anganwadi centres. Health for all starts with equity Extreme heat is not just a weather event but is also a social injustice multiplier. When temperatures soar, it is the informal vendors on sizzling pavements, the children in cramped classrooms, and the elderly in poorly ventilated tenements who bear the brunt. When the heat index crosses danger thresholds, the most affected are people with no choice — waste pickers with no shelter or daily wagers working under tin roofs. 'Stay indoors' is not guidance to the vulnerable. It is a stark reminder of how deeply skewed our systems are. To prevent the worst health impacts of heat extremes, we must shift from reactive emergency care to preventive, equity-rooted public health. This begins with mapping vulnerability, not just meteorologically, but socially — who lives where, how he works and what he lacks. Early morning health checks during red alerts, mobile hydration stations in low-income zones, subsidised cool shelters for the homeless, and protective policies for outdoor workers are life-saving necessities. The science is clear. So is the moral imperative: climate resilience means nothing unless it protects those most at risk. The window for action is narrowing, but the path ahead is clear. As climate extremes intensify, India must seize this moment to lead with vision and urgency. By embedding heat resilience into our public health systems, anchored in equity, science, and local leadership, we can safeguard lives and livelihoods. The time to act is not tomorrow or next year. It is now. Let India be the country that chose to prepare, protect, and pioneer. Nitya Mohan Khemka is Director of the Khemka Foundation, focused on strategic philanthropy. Indu K. Murthy leads the Climate, Environment and Sustainability sector at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
ASHAs' strike completes 100 days
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) who have been on an indefinite strike in front of the Secretariat for the past 100 days marked the occasion by holding aloft flambeaus to underline the strength of their agitation. Poet Rosemary inaugurated the protest by lighting a torch. Representatives of the ASHAs expressed their resolve to continue the strike till their demands were met. The ASHAs, under the umbrella of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers' Association (KAHWA), have been agitating since February demanding an increase in their honorarium and retirement benefits. During this period, their protest has assumed several forms from Assembly march and offering Pongala to tonsuring heads and staging hunger agitation. The ASHAs are now two weeks into a day-night protest march from Kasaragod. At the Secretariat, a 100-day protest meeting was presided over by KAHWA vice-president S. Mini. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph addressed the striking ASHAs. Leaders of the ASHAs also spoke. Shafi Parambil, MP; P.C. Vishnunath and Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLAs; District Congress Committee president Palode Ravi; former Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar; and other Congress leaders M. Liju, T. Sarathchandra Prasad, and Kaimanam Prabhakaran; and Mahila Congress leader Lakshmi spoke. Meanwhile, the day-night protest march that reached Palakkad on Monday will continue there on Wednesday before entering Thrissur. The government had recently constituted a five-member committee to study the demands of the ASHAs and submit a report within three months.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Spike in dengue cases in Ernakulam; 2 deaths reported
Two persons had succumbed to dengue fever in Ernakulam over the last three weeks. The district had recorded a total of 440 suspected and confirmed cases since May 1, 2025. Those who succumbed to the disease include a 72-year-old female from Rayamangalam and a 46-year-old female from Thuravoor, according to official estimates. The first case of death owing to dengue fever was reported on May 13, and the second case on May 16. The majority of the cases had been reported from rural limits, including Kanjoor, Alangad, Edathala, Rayamangalam, Keecheri, Edathala, Aluva, Vengola, Kuttampuzha, Cheruvattur, Kodanad, Chittattukara, Moolamkuzhi, Mukkannoor, Chowara, Ayampuzha, Vazhakulam, Keezhmad, Pampakuda, Udayamperoor, Malayidamthuruth, Kadavoor and Moothakunnam. In the city limits, the suspected and confirmed cases were reported in this period from Kadavanthra and Kaloor. The highest number since May 1 was reported on May 13 (a total of 51 suspected and confirmed cases). Ernakulam had an average of around 23 dengue cases (both confirmed and suspected) over the last three weeks. Ajayakumar N. P., president of Rayamangalam panchayat, said that control measures were initiated in two wards —Valayanchirangara and Pulluvazhi North — that had reported a slight increase in the number of dengue cases. Fogging and cleaning initiatives involving Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and health workers were carried out in these areas, he said. The health authorities have urged the local bodies, which had reported suspected and confirmed cases, to create awareness among the residents to avoid the presence of stagnant water in houses and apartments that act as the primary source for mosquito larvae to breed. Source-reduction measures have to be initiated to check the vector population. The breeding sites inside households include flower vases and pots, water trays behind refrigerators, and overhead tanks that are not properly covered, according to official estimates.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
26 taken ill with symptoms of viral diarrhoea in three villages of Belthangady taluk
The Department of Health and Family Welfare has deployed more than 50 healthcare workers, including 40 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), to conduct house-to-house visits to find out the probable source of water contamination, which is believed to be the reason for some people developing dysentery and vomiting in Bandaru, Mogaru, and Ilantila villages of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada. The survey follows the death of one Kamala in Bandaru, and 26 others taking ill with symptoms of dysentery and vomiting since May 13. District Health and Family Welfare Officer H.R. Thimmaiah, who held a meeting in this connection in Bandaru on Saturday, told The Hindu that the infected persons showed symptoms of viral diarrhoea. The department personnel will submit a report to him within a week after ascertaining the probable reasons for those people taking ill, he said. Dr. Thimmaiah said that of the 26, 10 persons, including the deceased, Kamala, were admitted as in-patients to different hospitals. Now, only four of the 10 patients are under treatment and are recovering. The other six patients have been discharged, and the remaining 16 patients were treated as outpatients in different hospitals and clinics. The stool samples of the infected persons tested negative for cholera. The department is awaiting the results of the stool culture test, he said. Ruling out reports that said the contamination of water at a wedding reception event in Bandaru resulted in an outbreak of the infection, Dr. Thimmaiah said dysentery and vomiting were also noticed among those who did not attend the reception. He also ruled out the possibility of contamination of the piped drinking water supplied to the three villages. The DHO said the fatal infection that caused Kamala's death was not due to the consumption of food, and the department is yet to ascertain the cause of her death, he said. Dr. Thimmaiah said water samples from all open wells and the piped supply in the three villages will be tested. During the ongoing doorstep visits, the health department personnel are creating awareness on hand hygiene and the consumption of ORS. He said Bandaru Gram Panchayat president Dinesh Gowda and other residents of the village are actively involved in the awareness-raising exercise. The DHO said a team of officials for Rapid Response has also been formed.
