KOCHI: “We are never tired of walking. There are many families awaiting us for help. We cannot let them down,” smiled Sreeja Raju, 43. She is one of many ASHA workers who wade through narrow lanes of Kochi with a bagful of medicines and other materials to prevent Covid-19 spread. Partnering Shyni Martin, her fellow Asha worker in the Palarivattom division. Sreeja has been visiting homes to give timely directions to families.
“We walk along the small lanes to cover all the families. There are pregnant women, infants and elderly who cannot leave their homes. Often, we walk all day to distribute medicines,” she says. “Even if we can’t meet the people daily, our calls will do. When people hesitate to take help, we convince them and provide essentials and medicines at their doorsteps,” says Shyni. On normal days, the staffers of Thammanam Primary Health Centre would be conducting surveys of people under their jurisdiction or holding awareness classes for homemakers. But the ‘new normal’ has forced them to don new roles.
“The case of a Saudi-returnee pregnant woman who reached here recently was a bit complicated. She had to take an injection every Tuesday and was worried about travelling to the hospital. We informed our superiors and got an ambulance immediately,” said Sreeja.Despite not receiving their salary for March and April, the foot soldiers never compromise on work, often working beyond their schedule. “We have to manage over 50 families. That’s a number which won’t let you sit back for long,” said Shyni.