ASHAs must be paid just wages, says Satheesan

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) should be paid just wages in recognition of the long and hard labour they have been doing at the grassroots to hold up the health system, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said on Wednesday (February 19, 2025).

He was addressing ASHAs, who have been agitating for the past 10 days in front of the Secretariat, demanding the pending payment of their honorarium and incentives as well as social security benefits. Mr. Satheesan said the demand for a hike in honorarium was justified because the ASHAs, originally inducted into the health system with the promise that they need work only for one or two hours, are now working for more than 16 hours at times and being paid a pittance.

Remuneration

The work done by ASHAs in taking preventive and primary care to the grassroots and their work during the pandemic time have been recognised globally. Even though the government has been claiming that ASHAs are receiving a monthly remuneration of ₹13,500, including both honorarium and incentives, they are not receiving more than ₹7,000 a month as their honorarium and incentives are linked to several conditions which they have to fulfil.

Mr. Satheesan said that the working hours of ASHAs are long, depending on the health emergencies they are asked to handle and it is only fair that their honorarium is increased to ₹21,000. They should also be given a retirement grant of ₹5 lakh when they retire from service at the age of 62. The unnecessary and often unfair conditions attached to the payment of honorarium should be withdrawn, he said.

He criticised the Health Minister and the Finance Minister for not prioritising the cause of ASHAs, even though they have been serving as the backbone of the health system.

A reminder

He also took exception to the police asking ASHAs to present themselves at the police station for taking their agitation to the streets and ‘causing inconvenience’ to the public and reminded the government that agitations in front of the Secretariat is a norm in Kerala, where everyone has the right to agitate in public places.

The United Democratic Front will fully back the agitation by ASHAs. Mr. Satheesan assured ASHAs that he would take up their cause and hold talks with the Chief Minister and the Health and the Finance Ministers.