AboutAccreditedSocialHealthActivist(ASHA)

One of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission is to provide every village in the country with atrained female communityhealthactivistASHAorAccreditedSocialHealthActivist.Selected from thevillage itselfandaccountabletoit,theASHAwillbetrainedtoworkasaninterfacebetweenthecommunityandthepublichealthsystem.FollowingarethekeycomponentsofASHA:

ASHAmustprimarilybeawomanresidentofthevillagemarried/widowed/divorced,preferablyintheagegroupof25to45years.

She should be a literate woman with due preference in selection to those who are qualified up to 10 standardwherevertheyareinterestedandavailableingoodnumbers.Thismayberelaxedonlyifnosuitablepersonwiththisqualificationisavailable.

ASHAwillbechosen througha rigorousprocessofselection involvingvariouscommunitygroups,selfhelpgroups,Anganwadi Institutions, theBlockNodalofficer,DistrictNodalofficer, the villageHealthCommitteeand theGramSabha.

Capacity building of ASHA is being seen as a continuous process. ASHA will have to undergo series of trainingepisodestoacquirethenecessaryknowledge,skillsandconfidenceforperformingherspelledoutroles.

The ASHAs will receive performancebased incentives for promoting universal immunization, referral and escortservices for Reproductive &Child Health (RCH) and other healthcare programmes, and construction of householdtoilets.

Empowered with knowledge and a drugkit to deliver firstcontact healthcare, every ASHA is expected to be afountainheadofcommunityparticipationinpublichealthprogrammesinhervillage.

ASHAwillbe the firstportofcall foranyhealthrelateddemandsofdeprivedsectionsof thepopulation,especiallywomenandchildren,whofinditdifficulttoaccesshealthservices.

ASHAwillbeahealthactivistinthecommunitywhowillcreateawarenessonhealthanditssocialdeterminantsandmobilise the community towards local health planning and increased utilisation and accountability of the existinghealthservices.

She would be a promoter of good health practices and will also provide aminimum package of curative care asappropriateandfeasibleforthatlevelandmaketimelyreferrals.

ASHA will provide information to the community on determinants of health such as nutrition, basic sanitation &hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions, information on existing health services and the need fortimelyutilisationofhealth&familywelfareservices.

She will counsel women on birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breastfeeding and complementaryfeeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive TractInfection/SexuallyTransmittedInfections(RTIs/STIs)andcareoftheyoungchild.

ASHAwillmobilisethecommunityandfacilitatetheminaccessinghealthandhealthrelatedservicesavailableattheAnganwadi/subcentre/primaryhealthcenters,suchasimmunisation,AnteNatalCheckup(ANC),PostNatalCheckupsupplementarynutrition,sanitationandotherservicesbeingprovidedbythegovernment.

Shewill act asadepot older for essential provisionsbeingmadeavailable toall habitations likeOralRehydrationTherapy(ORS),IronFolicAcidTablet(IFA),chloroquine,DisposableDeliveryKits(DDK),OralPills&Condoms,etc.

At the village level it is recognised that ASHA cannot function without adequate institutional support. Women's

committees (like selfhelp groups or women's health committees), village Health & Sanitation Committee of theGramPanchayat,peripheralhealthworkersespeciallyANMsandAnganwadiworkers,andthetrainersofASHAandinserviceperiodictrainingwouldbeamajorsourceofsupporttoASHA.