VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Monday that the State government has approved the recruitment of 913 vacant ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) posts across the State.
The Minister said the recruitment would help strengthen the delivery of healthcare services at the grassroots level. With the filling of the latest vacancies, all ASHA posts in the State would be brought under the zero-vacancy policy, he said.
The alliance government has filled 1,294 ASHA posts over two years. With the approved 913 posts, the total number of ASHA appointments during its tenure would reach 2,207. Of the 913 vacancies, 673 are in rural areas, 64 in tribal areas and 176 in urban areas.
The recruitment process will be undertaken through the District Health Societies, headed by Collectors.
Health Commissioner Chakradhar Babu said instructions had been issued to district authorities to complete the recruitment process and submit the selection lists by September 30. Each ASHA worker will receive Rs 10,000 per month as remuneration. The State government will contribute Rs 8,320, with the remaining amount being provided by the Centre.
The government spends up to Rs 513 crore annually on ASHA workers’ remuneration. Of this, the State government bears up to Rs 426.84 crore, while the balance is contributed by the Central government.