Forbes India’s W-Power List 2021 saw Matilda Kullu – a tribal woman from Odisha. The felicitates Indian women belonging to different sections of society and how they battled against all odds to reach where they are today. The 45-year-old hails from the state’s Sundargarh’s district and works under the government scheme ASHA – Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), a healthcare worker for the marginalized communities. Their work requires them to go door-to-door visits and educate the public about certain health issues and the government facilities they can avail. At a place where casteism and untouchability are still practiced today, Kullu played a significant role during the pandemic and for 15 years now has been working to provide healthcare facilities to many vulnerable groups. Like, The Baragaon tehsil, where she actually hails from, believes and practices black magic. The villagers preferred following the same over consulting a medical practitioner and the ASHA worker was ridiculed when she was trying to change their minds.
A Covid-19 Warrior
Speaking to Forbes India, Matilda Kullu who belongs to a Scheduled Tribe addresses the casteism and untouchability that still exist in the older generation, though people have started to be less superstitious towards many issues. The 45-year-old manages both her household chores and her work. Starting as early as 5 am, she does door-to-door visits to check on people, like taking care of pre and post-natal care of pregnant women, the deliveries, administering vaccines, promoting the importance of sanitation and hygiene concerns of the areas. Over the pandemic, the job of ASHA workers like her had become critical – they had to put in additional hours to make people aware of the virus, check on locals who are suspected to be infected, and take the information to the nearest healthcare center. Matilda says that she visited almost 50 to 60 houses every day, exemplary work efforts that were instrumental in closing the gap between vulnerable groups and healthcare facilities for which she was given the Covid-19 warrior award.
The conditions of ASHA workers
However, many like her continue to be unacknowledged and underappreciated. The majority of ASHA workers came in direct contact with virus-ridden people during their visits and many of them did not even have the necessary protection gear like the PPE kit, masks, sanitizers, gloves, according to Forbes India, making them highly vulnerable. Kullu herself contacted the virus in the second wave but returned to work 2 weeks later after recovering. Talking about the issue of their very low pay in comparison to the work they do, Kullu says that the situation is disappointing, and they even had to protest to get their deserved incentives for two years. The same has been the case with many other workers around the country who are struggling to make ends meet through this meager and untimely pay. Many also had to face violence. The governments should now recognize their contribution and efforts in maintaining the healthcare structure and provide them with better facilities to improve healthcare standards in the marginalized areas.
