Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA)

The NRHM covers all the villages through village-based "Accredited Social Health Activists" (ASHA) who would act as a link between the health centers and the villagers. One ASHA will be raised from every village or cluster of villages. The ASHA would be trained to advise villagers about Sanitation, Hygiene, Contraception, and Immunization to provide Primary Medical Care for Diarrhea, Minor Injuries, and Fevers; and to escort patients to Medical Centers. They would also deliver Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course for tuberculosis and oral rehydration; distribute folic acid tablets and chloroquine to patients and alert authorities to unusual outbreaks. Although these ASHAs would be honorary volunteers, there is a provision to provide them with performance-based compensation for undertaking specific health or other social sector programmes with measurable outputs, thus promoting employment for these volunteers.

If rural women want counselling on important issues such as birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted Infection (RTIs/STIs) and care of the young child, they may contact the concerned ASHA who shall be happy to provide them with all relevant guidance and assistance.

The general norm as decided under the Programme is ‘One ASHA per 1000 population’. In tribal, hilly, desert areas the norm could be relaxed to one ASHA per habitation, dependant on workload etc.