
Community Health Work is Work!
Dec 31, 2021
Community Health Workers across South Asia launched a campaign to recognise “Community Health Work is Work” on the Universal Health Coverage Day on 12 December 2020
- Read this in:
- en
Community Health Workers (CHWs) across South Asia launched the campaign: “Community Health Work is Work” to assert a set of demands to have the vital work they have been doing throughout the pandemic recognised, paid and supported.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a critical role in providing primary health care, providing information and raising awareness, and facilitating access to public health care to hundreds of millions of rural people. In South Asia, and other parts of the world, Community Health Workers — who are also known as Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs in India, Lady Health Workers in Pakistan and Female Community Health Volunteers in Nepal — are almost entirely women who are expected to do this vital work without being recognised as public health workers and without the payment of adequate wages. CHWs, in all countries except Pakistan, are denied the right to receive a minimum wage.
CHWs currently face the risk of contracting COVID-19 through their work but are perversely denied health and life insurance as well as pensions. Governments have recognised CHWs as “warriors against COVID-19” yet have routinely failed to provide adequate PPE, training, wages or support. Their repeated requests for provision of safety kits, masks and sanitisers during the COVID-19 door-to-door visits and surveys has been denied by the authorities. Unions representing CHWs have documented a range of threats and violations experienced during the pandemic. CHWs are facing heightened risks of infection and enduring long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, discrimination and physical and psychological harassment. Many CHWs have reported not being paid during the pandemic.
With increased risks of exposure to the virus, the pandemic has illustrated that precarious work is a threat to public health.
CHW unions have worked with the Global Union Federation, Public Services International, to develop the demands and launch the campaign ahead of the International Day for Universal Health Coverage.
Video
On United Nations Public Service Day, we demand recognition of Community Health Workers as public sector workers.
A day in the lives of South Asia’s Community Health Workers
Publications
Media coverage
Video
Community Health Workers across South Asia launch a campaign to recognise “Community Health Work is Work” on the Universal Health Coverage Day
Press Conference Recording: “Community Health Work is Work”
Video
Halima Zulqarnain, Central President of All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU) Pakistan delivers her message at the press conference launching at the launch of “Community Health Work is Work” - a campaign by Community Health Workers across South Asia asserting their rights are workers For more information about the campaign visit: https://publicservices.international/campaigns/community-health-work-is-work?id=11393&lang=en
Halima Zulqarnai's message from All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU) Pakistan
Other resources
EVENTS
-
Tags (16)
- Community Health Workers
- Covid-19
- All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union
- Asia & Pacific
- PSI Press Release
- Nepal Health Volunteer Association
- Nagpur Municipal Corporation Employees Union
- Mumbai Mahanagarpalika Karmachari Mahasangh Municipal Unions’ Trust
- Hind Mahila Sabha Indian Women Association
- Karnataka State Government Employees' Association
- Tamil Nadu Government Officials Union
- Indian National Municipal and Local Bodies Workers Federation
- Health & Social Care Services
- Pakistan
- Nepal
- India
Press Conference: Community Health Workers across South Asia launch campaign to recognise “Community Health Work is Work”
PSI is launching a campaign to support a charter of demands by its union affiliates representing Community Health Workers (CHWs) across South Asia to influence governments’ COVID-19 response and recovery strategies.

Act now
Subscribe to campaign updates
Contribute files and links anonymously
Share this page