ASHA is the key component of the national health mission is to provide every village in the country with a trained female community health activist.

1. ASHA
(ACCREDITED SOCIAL HEALTH ACTIVIST)

2. Meaning of ASHA
• ACCREDITED – Recognized by the community
• SOCIAL – from the community by the community and
for the community
• HEALTH ACTIVIST- spreading the awareness for
health.

3. INTRODUCTION
• ASHA is the key component of the
national health mission is to provide
every village in the country with a
trained female community health
activist.
• ASHA is volunteer health activists in
the communities, who is creating
awareness on health.
• ASHA mobilize the community
towards local health service.
• ASHA increases utilization of the
existing public health services. She
promotes good health practices.

4. SELECTION OF ASHA
• ASHA will be chosen by various community groups,
self-help groups, Anganwadi Institutions, the Block
Nodal officer, District Nodal officer, the village Health
Committee and the Gram Sabha.
• The general norm will be ‘One ASHA per 1000
population’. In tribal, hilly, desert areas, the norms
could be relaxed to one ASHA, dependant on workload
etc.

5. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
• ASHA must be primarily a woman resident of the
village ‘Married/Widow/Divorced’ and preferably in
the age group of 25 to 45 yrs.
• ASHA should have effective communication skills,
leadership qualities and be able to reach out to the
community.
• She should be a literate woman with formal education
up to 10th Class This may be relaxed only if no
suitable person with this qualification is available.

6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
1. ASHA will create awareness and 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.
2. ASHA will counsel women on
– Birth preparedness,
– Importance of safe delivery,
– Breastfeeding and complementary feeding,
– Immunization,
– Contraception and
– Prevention of common infections disease (RTIS/STIS) and
care of the young child

7. 3. ASHA will mobilize the community and facilitate them in
accessing health and health related services such as-
– Immunization,
– Ante natal check-up (ANC),
– Post natal check-up (PNC),
– ICDS,
– Sanitation and
– Other services being provided by the government.
4. She will work with the Village Health & Sanitation
Committee of the Gram Panchayat to develop a
comprehensive village health plan.
5. ASHA will provide primary medical care for minor
ailments such as
– Diarrhea,
– Fevers, and first aid for minor injuries.

8. 6. She will be a provider of Directly Observed Treatment
Short-course (DOTS) under Revised National
Tuberculosis Control Programme.
7. She will inform about the births and deaths in her village
to the Sub-Centres or Primary Health Centre.
8. She will promote construction of household toilets under
Total Sanitation Campaign.
9. She encourages and motivate for family planning to
target couple in the community.
10. Keeping and collection of demographic records.
11. ASHA will also play a role of key communicator
between health care system and rural population.

9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
• GOI has set up following indicators for monitoring
ASHA. Process Indicators:
(a) Number of ASHAs selected by due process;
(b) Number of ASHAs trained,
(c) % of ASHAs attending review meetings after one
year;
Outcome Indicators:
(a) % of newborn who were weighed and families
counseled.
(b) % of children with diarrhoea who received ORS.
(c) % of deliveries with skilled assistance.

10. (d) % of institutional deliveries,
(e) % of JSY claims made to ASHA,
(f) % completely immunized in 12-23 months age
group.
(g) % of unmet need for spacing contraception among
BPL;
(h) % of fever cases who received chloroquine within
first week in an malaria endemic area

11. 4. REMOVAL OF ASHA:
• Following is criteria for declaring any ASHA as an
Inactive/Dormant ASHA, Drop Out, if:
• She has submitted a letter of resignation to the VHSNC
(Village Health , Sanitation and Nutrition committee) and
her Facilitator.
• She has not attended the three consecutive
VHNDs(Village Health Nutrition Day) without giving
any information or reason.
• She has not attended the three consecutive Monthly
Meetings at PHC; without giving any information/reason
• She has not been active in most of the RMNCH+A
(Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and
Adolescent Health) activities.