Coronavirus: ASHA workers endure abuse and assault on field
However, despite such experiences, the AccreditedSocial Health Activist (ASHA) workers are carrying out theirwork "as service towards the nation and the society".
Apart from spreading awareness about the coronavirusinfection, ASHA workers are supposed to conduct house-to-housevisits to look for cases of TB, cancer etc.
Asha worker Usha Thakur told on Wednesday that atleast 21 teams are currently doing field work in twocoronavirus containment zones--Satranjipura ans Shanti Nagar--in the city.
When asked about the challenges faced by them, shesaid, "In some areas, people do not give us properinformation. They also avoid sharing their contact numbersfearing that they might be detained by authorities," she said.
Recalling another incident, Thakur said a woman hadonce abused a team of ASHA workers in a foul language.
"On one occasion, some local residents had tried tosnatch our mobile phones. Many a times stones were hurled atus. We were spat upon at times," said Thakur.
When asked whether such experiences do not deter us,Thakur said, "We are doing this as the service towards thenation and the society".
"We have the emergency contact numbers of police andwe know that help is just a call away," she said.
Another ASHA worker said she had also faced resistancewhile doing work.
However, it is not that all people behave in a similarhostile manner, she said, adding that many people hadcooperated with them.
Most of these ASHA workers are attached to the NagpurMunicipal Corporation (NMC).
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundheadmitted that civic employees had endured such hostileexperiences.
He warned of a strict action under the Indian PenalCode (IPC) against anyone not cooperating.
Nagpur had reported 90 COVID-19 cases till April 21night. CLSNSK NSK