The Health Department will register FIR against ASHA workers who created disturbance in treatment of critical patients by staging dharna at the premises of Government Seth Govinddas District Hospital (Victoria) without permission, on Thursday. The ASHA workers were staging protest in silent zone, which was a clear violation of Section 144 as the model Code of Conduct was still applicable in view of Panchayat elections in the State. They even tried to block the way of 108 Ambulances carrying serious patients for emergency treatment in the hospital.

As per official sources, following the directives issued by Collector Dr Ilaiyaraja T, all the health programmes are being minutely reviewed under the supervision of Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Ratnesh Kurariya. the main objective behind this is to decline the mother-infant mortality rate in the district.

DPM Vijay Pandey has been deployed to conduct physical verification of the aforesaid irregularity. Hence, the Health Department is strictly monitoring the work culture being followed in the Department of Woman and Child Development. While undergoing review, it was observed that in comparison to ASHA workers who were actually active in the field, more number of ASHA workers were registered in ASHA Portal.

The department has also received repeated complaints that appointment of many ASHA workers were done either against rules or fake and these workers are receiving incentive without work. Hence to dissuade the ongoing verification process, the ASHA workers whose appointment in the department, was under scanner, staged the protest under the leadership of Puja Kanoujiya to pressurize the investigating officer.