SHIVAMOGGA: A frontline health worker, Annapurna has juggled her Covid duties of creating awareness and conducting surveys and even stopped the wedding of a child during the pandemic. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has lauded Annapurna, an Asha worker in Tunganagar, as the ‘Best ASHA Worker’. “Working in containment zones is challenging. Residents get agitated when their area is sealed down. Most residents of Tunganagar are daily wage workers, and they get upset about losing their daily bread.
As a result, sometimes we get abused because of their ignorance,” said Annapurna. Aarathi, District ASHA Mentor, told TNIE that Annapurna has been an ASHA worker since 2015 in Tunganagar which has a population of 3,000 of which 2,500 live in slums. It also has 10 containment zones. Annapurna carried out her Covid taks smoothly and with patience, she said. Whenever a person from outside the district or State arrived, Annapurna immediately collected information, screen ed them for symptoms and send them to quarantine.
“During the pandemic, she stopped a child marriage. As soon as she learned that a minor girl got engaged and her family was making preparations for her wedding, Annapurna convinced both families and prevented it,” Aarathi said. Aarathi said that even before the coronavirus outbreak, Annapurna dedicated herself to her work: taking pregnant women to PHCs, giving their status to the government, following up on the health of infants discharged from intensive care and referring malnourished children to the health department.