SHILLONG, Dec 28: Nine months since its launch in March his year, a total payment of Rs 12.29 crore has been made to ASHA workers across the state in a timely manner using ASHAFirst payment mobile application which was launched by the Meghalaya government to ease the remuneration process and ensure timely payment to the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.
The application has also drastically reduced the time duration of remuneration being credited to women healthcare workers to less than 5 days from 120 days earlier.
Prior to this technological intervention, it was a long and cumbersome payment process stretching to over four months, marked by time consuming physical documentation and verification process.
“Our government has accorded topmost priority to healthcare and one of the key pillars of the entire health delivery system is the thousands of ASHA women workers across the state. They have played a stellar role in Meghalaya’s successful fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Making the payment process of ASHA workers faster and hassle free was the least we could have done in return of their countless sacrifices and hard work. I am happy that we have put technology to best use by launching the ASHA payment app and succeeding to curtail a prolonged and painful four months long payment process to less than a week, making it literally as simple as a click of a button,” said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma while congratulating the entire team for this technological innovation.
Meghalaya is a state known for its matrilineal society with over 14 lakh female population.
The women in the state play an important role in the society. ASHA was introduced in Meghalaya in the year 2005 by the National Health Mission (NHM).
ASHA workers are women who serve as the first point of contact for deprived sections in rural areas.
With almost 7,000 villages in Meghalaya, the state currently has 7,067 registered ASHAs, with every village having at least one ASHA with an aim to provide effective, efficient, and affordable healthcare to rural residents.
ASHA workers seek to raise community awareness and provide information on health determinants, such as nutrition, basic sanitation, and hygiene practices. They also talk about the importance of timely utilisation of Health and Family Welfare services.
A total of Rs 80 crore was dispersed during the period 2020 to 2022, which were pending for several years.
The overall incentive for the ASHA workers and helpers has also been increased.
The state component of their salaries which was Rs 1,500 and Rs 500 per month for ASHA workers and helpers respectively have been doubled to Rs 3,000 and Rs 1,000. Now, the total monthly incentive paid to the ASHAs is Rs 7,500 and Rs 3,250 respectively.
According to Ri-Bhoi Additional District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO), Dr D Blah, “After this payment application was introduced in the district, the system has motivated many of the ASHA workers since they can now claim their incentives regularly and most importantly on time, which was never the case before.”
The ASHA mobile payment application has become a crucial tool for programme officials at all levels, since it allows consistent tracking and monitoring of ASHA payments and ensures that there are no delays in payments.
The app was successfully piloted in Umlong Block of Ri-Bhoi district and the amount claimed was released for payment to the ASHAs through this application within five days from the time the claim was raised.
Faced with several hardships previously due to the delay in payments, several of the ASHA workers have expressed relief and satisfaction with the new system in place.
“Earlier, all the paperwork had to be done manually. Just to get our remuneration, we had to spend significant time and money in filling up physical forms and travelling to submit them. It was very inconvenient. But now through this new app, we do not have to undergo such hardships and need to simply use our mobile phones to raise a claim and monitor the process,” an ASHA worker from Jorgin village, Ushalinda Marak, said.
Not only has it eased the pain of the ASHAs but ANM, PHC, T Syiem, also states that since this app was launched, even their work of monitoring and approval has become much easier. “Just a few clicks and we are done”; she said.
ASHAs are now paid on a weekly basis and regularly with no delay. Since the launch of the app, a total payment of Rs 9.14 crore was made to ASHAs across the state in a timely manner within the first few months of the launch.
An ASHA worker under Pahamrimai village, Tina Mary Sohkhlet, said that before the app was introduced, all their previous payments were pending, and it became difficult for them to continue their job. “But now that we have this online payment app, things have changed for the better and we are motivated and excited to provide our service,” Sohkhlet said.
