Asha Kiran workers raise a stink about filthy conditions

It’s not just the mentally-ill inmates of Asha Kiran who are victims of unhygienic conditions at the home. The filthy surroundings are also taking a toll on the staff members there, some of whom have been hit by diseases like tuberculosis, chickenpox, pneumonia and various respiratory and skin infections. Some of the caretakers live at the home, and there is no place for them to get basic medical facilities. 

Drastically short-staffed, they spend hours with the occupants and are vulnerable to diseases themselves. They also revealed that the facilities available for them, including for food, and the salaries for those working round the clock are such that many quit their job in the first month of service. In the last two months, 11 inmates have died at Asha Kiran and DNA reported that the autopsy reports suggested that the deaths were caused due to a lack of food resulting in starvation. 

The home has 900 inmates, almost double of what it can accommodate without a cook, staff members said. They also claimed that some people have passed away in recent years after falling terminally ill. 

When DNA approached one of the caretakers working at the children’s ward, he shared his experience of living in inhumane conditions. 

“Many of us work 24x7. There are about 500 kids at the children’s ward. They are all separated based on various grounds, like age and illness, so that individual care can be provided to them. Many of these children are victims of tuberculosis, HIV, pneumonia, and respiratory and skin infections. Some of these diseases are communicable and we, who have to stay with these unwell kids, face the risk of contracting the infections,” the worker said.

He added that they have masks and gloves for use, but it is not possible for one to keep such preventive measures in mind all the time. “These kids require immediate attention. We can’t keep wearing gloves and masks round the clock. Even while sleeping or eating, we often need to rush to help or assist these kids. Such precautions cannot always be enforced,”he said.

Following such proximity to the inmates, some workers claim that many of their colleagues have fallen terminally ill, with a few even passing away during treatment. “There is no medical service available for us at the centre.

We are paid about Rs 9,000 a month. This is not enough to get good treatment for ourselves. All we get is a place to sleep and daily meals, which are again a disappointment,” said another worker.

Staff members also said that a majority of the children at the centre have never seen their parents after they were dropped off there. “Most of the kids have started calling us ‘papa’ or ‘maa’. When they feel alienated and call out the names of their parents, it is always us who rush to them. This has made them believe that we are their family,” they said.

They also said that many people come to join the place believing that they will offer a social service, but poor upkeep of the place and degraded services make them quit and flee. This has led to a severe scarcity of staff members at the care centre.