Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the ongoing hunger strike, one of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers was rushed to the District General Hospital here after her health condition worsened. M Sobha, who had been on a hunger strike since March 21, fell ill on Tuesday around noon. Shailaja, another health worker, replaced her in the three-member team currently on hunger strike.

The ASHA workers launched the hunger strike on March 20 after their talks with the government proved futile. MA Bindu, R Sheeja, and KP Thankamai were the three women who initially started the strike. When Sheeja’s health condition worsened, she was hospitalized, and Sobha took her place. However, Sobha was also admitted to the hospital after a doctor who examined her at the protest site expressed concern about her health. Manorama News reported that there was a fluctuation in Sobha’s blood pressure levels.

Hundreds of ASHA workers have been protesting outside the Secretariat since February 10, demanding post-retirement benefits and a hike in their honorarium from the existing ₹7,000 to ₹21,000.

The health workers, who played a crucial role in Kerala during the COVID-19 outbreak, alleged that around 26,000 ASHA workers in the state are awaiting the payment of at least two months’ honorarium of ₹7,000 each and three months’ incentives of around ₹5,000 each. The ASHA workers are also demanding that the government ensure a retirement benefit of ₹5 lakh for them. Additionally, they are urging the government to set fixed working hours, as they are often forced to work more than 12 hours per day.