New Delhi: In a bid to protest against the state government for not providing rehabilitation to many health workers like her, this frontline auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) worker was found begging wearing PPE in Charampa area of Bhadrak district in Odisha.
The village-level health worker, identified as Aswini Padhee, along with few opthers were recruited on a contractual basis by the state government during the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak period. But, as soon as the number of coronavirus cases drastically declined in the state their contract period ended and the state government decided not to renew the contract further after it expired on December 31, 2020.
This decision taken due to a shortage of Budget, left a lot of health workers jobless. Following which, many ANM workers have been sitting on a dharna for the last two months at PMG Square in Bhubaneswar, braving the chilling winter, demanding rehabilitation.
As per a India Today report Padhee said, “The state government appointed us to work as ‘Covid Warriors’ after the outbreak of coronavirus as the situation was very grim in the state. We risked our and our family members’ lives by working closely with Covid patients. After working for around nine months, the government dismissed us without ensuring any rehabilitation,” Padhee said.
Hence, as a mark of protest, Padhee was seen hopping shops carrying a bowl for ‘alms’. Padhee further added, “The state government must provide aid to protect the livelihoods of around 8,000 paramedics in the state. We will intensify our protest in the coming days by begging everywhere in the state if it does not fulfill our demand.”