ASHAs demand recognition as govt employees

Bhubaneswar: Thousands of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) from different parts of the state took out a mass rally from Railway Station to Mahatma Gandhi Marg here on Monday to press for their demands.

Holding placards and banners, the protestors under the banner of Nikhila Odisha Asha Karmi Sangha slammed the state government for paying no heed to their plight.

“The ASHAs have been playing a pivotal role in imparting basic health education and services to the poor and assisting them to access public healthcare facilities. But their genuine issues have been long ignored by the government. We demand that the ASHAs and their helpers be recognized as government employees and provision made to impart nursing training to them,” association general secretary Namita Sahoo said.

Other major demands of the ASHAs include health insurance benefits and provision of bus pass.