In India’s National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers play a crucial role as health facilitators. ASHAs are at the core of health awareness, encouraging institutional delivery, child vaccination, and education in safe motherhood. They act as a bridge between rural society and public healthcare.

Their areas of expertise are family planning, illness prevention, and maternal and child health. ASHAs help improve health in rural areas and make sure that people get medical help when they need it. They do this by having strong links with the community and providing therapy.

Read on to find out more about ASHA, what they do, what they are responsible for, and other important facts.

What is ASHA?

In medicine, the full form of ASHA in medical is Accredited Social Health Activist. The National Rural Health Mission started the initiative in 2005-06 to make healthcare better in rural India. In 2013, the National Urban Health Mission expanded it to cities.

ASHA workers are trained local women who volunteer to help connect people with the health system. Their job is to increase awareness, make healthcare more accessible, and carry out national health initiatives like immunisation, TB (tuberculosis) control, and maternity and child health.

As of June 2022, there are more than 10.52 lakh active ASHAs working in all states and union territories (excluding Goa). This is the biggest community health worker program in the world. Because ASHAs live in the area, they can build trust, encourage participation, and offer health solutions that are specific to the area.

At the state level, ASHAs are also essential to programs like HBNC (Home-Based Newborn Care) and HBYC (Home-Based Young Child Care), which work to lower the number of deaths of mothers and children.

What are the Roles and Responsibilities of ASHA?

The role of ASHA workers is to help people in rural and urban areas connect with the public health system. Their job is to promote health, make services easier to access, and provide basic care for mothers, children, and the community. Their main responsibilities involve:

• Health Awareness and Education 

ASHAs work to raise awareness of health and social determinants of health in the community. They teach people about nutrition, cleanliness, sanitation, family planning, and how to avoid getting sick, which helps the community make smart choices about their health.

• Facilitating Health Services

ASHAs help people get to government health services and assist them while they do. They get individuals in the community to take part in vaccination campaigns, prenatal and postnatal tests, institutional deliveries, and other public health programs at Anganwadi centres, sub-centres, and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

• Basic Health Services at the Community Level

With a medication kit, ASHAs can help with minor health problems like diarrhoea, fever, and first aid. They have a lot of things in stock, like Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), iron-folic acid tablets, chloroquine, oral pills, condoms, and disposable delivery kits.

• Mother and Child Health Tracking

One of ASHA’s main duties is to keep an eye on the health of pregnant women, babies, and small children. They give ladies advice on how to be ready for childbirth, how to have a baby in a hospital, how to start nursing early, how to feed a baby with other foods, and how to get vaccinated. They also support initiatives like Home-Based Neonatal Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Young Child Care (HBYC).

• Referral and Counselling Services

ASHAs help women plan their families, stay well during pregnancy, and avoid getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and reproductive tract infections (RTIs). They also send patients who require medical care to the right healthcare facilities and go with them when they need to.

• Assistance in National Health Programs

It is the job of ASHAs to carry out important national health programs such as vaccination, Pulse Polio, Leprosy Eradication, Tuberculosis Control, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) screening, COVID-19, and health promotion campaigns like Arogyavardhini.

• Member of Village Committees

ASHAs are part of community health and sanitation committees, self-help groups, and other committees that organise and keep an eye on things at the village level. This helps make sure that the community is involved in planning and carrying out healthcare.

• Facilitator and Service Provider

In addition to raising awareness, ASHAs also provide direct services to families, such as giving out birth control, counselling, and follow-up care. They help patients get to the health resources that are available, which fills in gaps in services.

• Workload and Coverage Norms

There is usually one ASHA for every 1,000 individuals who live in rural regions and around 2,000 people who live in cities. In tribal, hilly, or hard-to-reach places, though, the rule is more flexible and says “1 ASHA per habitation,” depending on where you live and how easy it is to get to.

What are the Benefits of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)?

ASHA members get help in the form of money, welfare programs, and basic needs, which lets them do their jobs well and with dignity. Here are the main benefits:

• Incentives Based on Performance

The Centre or State pays ASHAs at least ₹2,000 to do basic healthcare tasks like vaccination, maternal care, and awareness campaigns.

• Insurance Coverage

Under two main government insurance programs, ASHAs are covered. If someone under the age of 70 dies by accident or becomes permanently disabled, they will receive ₹2 lakh. If they become partially or permanently disabled, they would receive ₹1 lakh. 

The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana also covers ASHAs who are under 50 years old. It pays ₹2 lakh for any reason of death.

• Non-Monetary Incentives

ASHAs get uniforms, ID cards, drug kits, bicycles, mobile phones with CUG SIMs and ASHA diaries to help them with their daily work in the field.

• Acclaim and Support

Health centres offer ASHA workers restrooms, and as they do their jobs, they gain respect in their communities as important healthcare providers.

FAQs About Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)

1. What is the function of an ASHA worker in public health services?

An ASHA worker is particularly important for community health because they help women and families get ready for birth, have a safe delivery, breastfeed, feed their babies, get vaccinations, use birth control, and avoid infections like STIs. They provide full care to mothers and small children.

2. Who chooses an ASHA Worker?

The Gramme Sabha (village assembly) chooses ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers with help from several community groups and health agencies. The inhabitants of the community vote for who is picked, which makes sure that the person is accountable to the village.

3. What is the retirement age for ASHA?

The government has imposed a fixed retirement age of 62 years for ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists), which is a small respite for them.

4. What framework does ASHA operate within?

The Government of India set up the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers serve under this mission.

5. What barriers does ASHA encounter?

In many of the villages they work in, ASHA workers are abused, harassed, and even assaulted. They don’t get much help or chances to get justice. Extreme weather events also put them at risk of health problems and make it harder for them to do their jobs because they don’t have the right supplies to protect themselves.

Conclusion

ASHA workers are the backbone of India’s rural health system. They help the most underserved populations get healthcare and reach the last mile. We should recognise and promote their hard work in improving mother and child health, controlling infections, and raising awareness in the community.

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