ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist)

ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist)

Subject : Governance

Section : Health

Context:  The World Health Organisation has recognised the country’s 10.4 lakh ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers as ‘Global Health Leaders’ for their efforts in connecting the community to the government’s health programmes.

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

• ASHA is a trained female community health activist. Selected from the community itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system.
• The role of an ASHA is that of a community level care provider.
• ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system
• They act as a bridge connecting marginalised communities with facilities such as primary health centres, sub-centres and district hospitals.
• The role of these community health volunteers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was first established in 2005.
• ASHAs are primarily married, widowed, or divorced women between the ages of 25 and 45 years from within the community. They must have good communication and leadership skills; should be literate with formal education up to Class 8, as per the programme guidelines.

Number of  ASHAs:

• The aim is to have one ASHA for every 1,000 persons or per habitation in hilly, tribal or other sparsely populated areas.
• There are around 10.4 lakh ASHA workers across the country, with the largest workforces in states with high populations – Uttar Pradesh (1.63 lakh), Bihar (89,437), and Madhya Pradesh (77,531). Goa is the only state with no such workers, as per the latest National Health Mission data available from September 2019.

Responsibilities of ASHA:

• Door-to-door in their designated areas creating awareness about basic nutrition, hygiene practices, and the health services available
• Ensuring that women undergo ante-natal check-up, maintain nutrition during pregnancy, deliver at a healthcare facility, and provide post-birth training on breast-feeding and complementary nutrition of children.
• Counseling women about contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections.
• Ensuring and motivating children to get immunised.
• Other than mother and child care, ASHA workers also provide medicines daily to TB patients under directly observed treatment of the national programme.
• Screening for infections like malaria during the season.
• Providing basic medicines and therapies to people under their jurisdiction such as oral rehydration solution, chloroquine for malaria, iron folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia, and contraceptive pills.