Asha, Anganwadi and ANM-certified health care workers are at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 in rural Uttar Pradesh
There is a surge in Covid-19 cases in rural areas across India and Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, is no exception. On Thursday, the state reported 281 coronavirus deaths and 17,775 new confirmed cases of infection.
In remote pockets of rural Uttar Pradesh where Basic care facilities are in short supply, Asha, Anganwadi workers and ANM-certified nurses are at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus.
Asha workers are only recognized as frontline workers on paper and are the first line of defense in rural Uttar Pradesh. These Asha workers are tasked with interviewing the villagers and monitoring their health during the ongoing pandemic. They risk their lives every day for a meager sum of 2,250 rupees per month.
What is even more discouraging is that even in this time of crisis, Asha workers face wage cuts if they have more than 10 days off.
The Asha workers face the challenge again
At a time when Uttar Pradesh is struggling to contain the spread of infections in the state’s rural areas, these Asha workers have set themselves the task of quarantining Covid-19 patients in villages and those who are Isolate home, bring medication.
How Asha workers help in the fight against Covid. Check out this basic report from the village of Bhadras in #Kanpur by @preetichoudhry#CovidDesptach LIVING pic.twitter.com/lfiAfV0rCL
– IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 13, 2021
A total of 1.54 lakh asha workers were deployed by the Uttar Pradesh government to inspect locals in the state’s rural pockets.
In 2020, the Asha workers completed the mammoth task of Persecution of more than 30 lakh migrant returnees in Uttar Pradesh. They even helped with community-level contact tracking and monitoring, despite fears from family members who feared for their health.
Soil report: Bhadras Village, Kanpur District
An Asha worker in Kanpur’s village of Bhadras said her team conducted a survey between May 5th and 9th this year that visited at least 40 homes a day and asked about the health of residents.
In Bhadras in the Kanpur district of UP, 20 people are said to have died from coronavirus in the past three weeks.
“We know everything about everyone. We have to convince people very much to get themselves tested for Covid-19. People say a lot about our work, but it’s our job to convince and motivate them, “the Asha employee told India Today TV.
An ANM certified health care professional who is part of the team says, “Fear among people has hampered testing in these areas. We were even a little scared at first, but there is work to be done and we follow social distancing and others Logs. “
“They should never have given us uniforms … if they didn’t want us to be an army” ~ Margaret Atwood … waging the Covid war in rural UP … wearing white saris with brown edges … with weak ones Masks armed. .ASHA workers rightly charge over 2200 rupees a month! pic.twitter.com/1YLnp1VbPB
– Preeti Choudhry (@PreetiChoudhry) May 13, 2021
When asked if she was afraid for her family, the healthcare worker said she had a husband and daughter at home. “I take precautions and even have to live away from them some days,” she adds.
These health workers, like the Asha and Anganwadi workers, work extended hours every day to monitor the spread of infections in Bhadras village. There have been some commuting issues but those are now being fixed, says the ANM certified health care worker.
An official told India Today TV that two Asha employees on the team responsible for Bhadras were infected and one died from Covid-19.
Fears of villagers, Asha workers
When asked about the concerns of the villagers when they were approached, an Asha worker said, “People were reluctant to reveal that they had symptoms such as fever and cough. We assured them that there is no need to be afraid and we do Have medicine. “
What made you want to become one? Asha worker? One of them says, “The situation was that we had to become Asha workers; we had no farmland and we had to do something to raise our children and make a living.”
“We have been working as Asha workers for 13 years without a raise. We were not paid before and received 1,000 rupees much later,” adds another.
Young doctors lead the prosecution in Firozabad
In another part of the state, young doctors under the age of 30 manage a 100-bed Covid ward. You work 10-12 hours a day and have to wear PPE kits for 8-9 hours with no breaks in between.
Dr. Himanshu (28) is part of the team at Firozabad Medical College. He tells India Today TV that the number of patients has decreased compared to 10 days before and the pressure is now a little less. “But the pressure is still there because some patients are critical,” he adds.
When asked if he was concerned about his own health, Dr. Himanshu said he was initially afraid when he entered the service in April last year. Our parents are more afraid for us than we are, he says.
“The priority now is that the patient is better off. In addition to the medicine, the patients also need advice and motivation,” says Dr. Himanshu told India Today TV.
Duty especially for #Firozabad‘s young doctors. Check out this basic report from @preetichoudhry#CovidDespatch pic.twitter.com/HAB1U0HysI
– IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 13, 2021
Dr. Ratul, who had just finished his shift, said it was his job to check the vital signs of every Covid patient at Firozabad Medical College between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. We need to maintain follow-up, resolve complaints and consult supervisors if the patient’s health deteriorates, he adds.
A physiotherapist, Dr. Shipra told India Today TV, “I was scared last year, but now I’ve realized – if we get scared, how are we going to treat patients?”
It is without a doubt the spirit of doctors like those in Firozabad and Asha, Anganwadi workers in Bhadras, that can drag Uttar Pradesh through this time of unprecedented crisis.
(With input from Preeti Choudhry)
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