Indian health workers at wits end

I have previously done a blog post about the coronavirus situation in India, a country which is struggling immensely with the situation. If you want, go back and have a wee read to inform yourself of the situation there. A pandemic that is hitting the country hard. It is one of the countries which is the hardest hit in Asia, with its total number of cases over 2 million. 

The health workers have reached breaking point with the virus. More than 3.5 million, who have been the foot-soldiers in the Covid-19 detection efforts across India, embarked on a 2 day strike from Friday to secure better wages and proper protective equipment. At least 100 health workers have died from Covid-19 but there has been no insurance provided by the government. Health workers have been conducting door-to-door checks to trace Vocid-19 patients. A total of 10 unions representing the workers, which also include ambulance drivers and cooks at community centres, joined the strike. A majority of them work on contracts with state governments at a monthly salary of £30. 

The health workers have went above and beyond in India. They have done this in conditions that are deplorable and for pay that does not reflect it. In some places, they have had difficulty reaching households, especially in the mountainous regions as they were very far apart. Sometimes they have had to cross rivers by boat and rope bridges. This shows the extent that they are going to in order to control the virus, yet the government still has not increased their salary. 

The situation is not likely to get better with infections spreading further to smaller towns and rural areas. Some experts even say that in India it is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, which will put even more strain on an already burdened healthcare system. A healthcare system in a nation of 1.3 billion people. India has been posting an average of around 50,000 new cases a day but a country of India's size and diversity has multiple outbreaks in different phases. 

The majority of India's health workers can be seen to be women who have been left with no option but to go on strike. According to the World Health Organisation data, women form 70% of the total workers in the health and social sector. However, there is a gender pay gap of around 28% on average in India, making it one of the most biased sectors in terms of wage payments. The Accredited Social Health Activists, commonly known as the ASHA workers, are some of the most exploited and least paid health workers in the world. 

The issue is that there is no fixed salary for an ASHA worker. They are exploited and least paid health worker in the world. One ASHA worker is normally responsible for conducting health promotion activities for 1000 people in a village. Those in government have often argued that providing a fixed salary to the ASHA workers reduces their incentive and accountability. The real reason however is that a fixed salary would also mean a force of health workers who would be entitled to government pension among other benefits. ASHA workers often end up working 7 days a week without a minimum salary, in contrast to other male-dominated sector workers working in the equally exploited environment but receiving at least a wage according to the minimum wage requirement. Important caregiving tasks like visiting homes of pregnant women in the villages or spreading awareness of a vaccination are unpaid. 

This unequal pay structure makes women even more vulnerable in this time of a health emergency. They are facing a double burden of responsibilities as they have their families to look after, along with household chores. According to a series of surveys conducted by KONDA and the United National Development Program (UNDP), women are doing four times the household work compared to men. Additionally, female health care workers have longer shifts and additional work because of COVID-19. Their workload has seen a drastic increase as along with the work they were doing previously, they are now responsible for tracking the health of people in quarantine, keeping records of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness as well as Influenza Like Illness patients and prepare their reports. This increases their chances of contracting the coronavirus. 

Some ASHA workers are even enrolled as volunteers. This promotes the patriarchal notion of care work as a woman's area of labour and exploit them for it by having women volunteer to do their supposed natural role. This health crisis makes us realise the terrible situation in countries like India for many women. It is an eye-opener and has to drive us to join them in their fight and pressure their government as woman and any health care worker in India deserves better.