Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are community health worker

Community health worker

Community health workers are members of a community who are chosen by community members or organizations to provide basic health and medical care to their community...

s instituted by the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India....

 (MoHFW) as part of the National Rural Health Mission

National Rural Health Mission of India

National Rural Health Mission of India is a program and scheme run by the ministry of health under government of India. The mission was launched on 5th April 2005 for period of 7 years . The mission helps and seeks to improve the health care delivery system...

 (NRHM). The Mission began in 2005; full implementation is targeted for 2012. Once fully implemented, there is to be "an ASHA in every village" in India, a target that translates into 250,000 ASHAs in 10 states.

Role of ASHAs

ASHAs are local women trained to act as health educators and promoters in their communities. The Indian MoHFW describes them as:

...health activist(s) in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilize the community towards local health planning and increased utilization and accountability of the existing health services.

Their tasks include motivating women to give birth in hospitals, bringing children to immunization clinics, encouraging “family planning” (i.e. surgical sterilization), treating basic illness and injury with first aid, keeping demographic records, and improving village sanitation. ASHAs are also meant to serve as a key communication mechanism between the healthcare system and rural populations.

Selection of ASHAs

ASHAs must primarily be female residents of the village that they have been selected to serve, who are likely to remain in that village for the foreseeable future. Married, widowed or divorced women are preferred over women who have yet to marry since Indian cultural norms dictate that upon marriage a woman leaves her village and migrates to that of her husband. ASHAs must have class eight education or higher, preferably be between the ages of 25 and 45, and are selected by and accountable to the gram panchayat

Gram panchayat

Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...

(local government). If there is no suitable literate candidate, a semi-literate woman with a formal education lower than eighth standard, may be selected.

Remuneration for ASHA work

Although ASHAs are considered volunteers, they receive outcome-based remuneration and financial compensation for training days. For example, if an ASHA facilitates an institutional delivery she receives Rs. 600 and the mother receives Rs. 1400. ASHAs also receive Rs. 150 for each child completing an immunization session, and Rs. 150 for each individual who undergoes family planning. ASHAs are expected to attend a Wednesday meeting at the local primary health centre (PHC); beyond this requirement, the time ASHAs spend on their CHW tasks is relatively flexible.