ASHA worker’s death in Andhra Pradesh sparks protests

An ASHA worker died in the Government General Hospital in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday with her fellow workers alleging that she died following coronavirus vaccination. Guntur district Collector Samuel Anand said the exact cause of the ASHA worker’s death would be revealed only after a post-mortem but maintained that not a single Adverse Event following Immunisation was reported in the district as 10,099 healthcare staff were vaccinated in the first eight days.

ASHA workers staged a demonstration in front of the GGH demanding that a compensation of Rs 50 lakh be paid to the
deceased’s family. A leader of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions that led the protest picked up an argument with the district Collector when he visited the hospital to console the family members of the deceased.

The Collector said he would send a proposal to the state government for payment of compensation to the ASHA worker’s kin, on the lines of that paid to frontline health workers who succumbed to COVID-19. He also promised a house site besides a job to an eligible member of the family.

The 44-year old ASHA worker complained of severe headache and fever on January 22, three days after she took a shot of the coronavirus vaccine.

“We first took her to a private hospital and later shifted to the GGH as her condition worsened. She was a very fit person and rendered tireless service during COVID-19 time,” the ASHA worker’s brother said.

He denied that she suffered a brain stroke as was being said by the GGH doctors.