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26 May 2022 WHO Awarded ASHA workers

Posted at 16:53h in Daily current-affairs by khyati khare 0 Comments

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Recently, during the event of the 75th ‘World Health Assembly’, India’s ‘ASHA’ activists ie ‘Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)’ ‘Global Health Leaders Award’-2022 (Global Health Leaders Award -2022) has been provided.
Eight volunteer polio activists are also among the recipients of this award. These volunteer polio activists were shot dead by armed gunmen in Afghanistan’s Takhar and Kunduz provinces in February this year.

ASHA workers are volunteers working within the community, who are trained to provide information and help people to avail benefits of various health schemes of the government.
They act as a bridge connecting marginalized communities with facilities such as primary health centres, sub-centres and district hospitals.
The role of these ‘Community Health Volunteers’ was first established in the year 2005 under the ‘National Rural Health Mission’ (NRHM).

Volunteers should have good manners, communication and leadership skills to work as ASHA workers; In addition, the program guidelines require the workers to have formal education up to class 8.

At present, there are about 10.4 lakh ASHA workers working across the country.
The highest number of ASHA workers are in the high population states – Uttar Pradesh (63 lakh), Bihar (89,437), and Madhya Pradesh (77,531).
Goa is the only state in the country where there are no ASHA workers.

To create awareness about basic nutrition, hygiene practices and health services available from door to door in their designated areas.
Ensuring women undergo antenatal check-ups, nutritious diet during pregnancy, delivery in health facilities, and training obstetricians for post-birth breastfeeding and supplemental nutrition for children.
Counseling women about contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections.
Ensuring vaccination of children.
To provide daily medicines to TB patients under the direct supervision of National Programme.

Since they are considered “volunteers”, governments are not obliged to pay them salaries. And, most of the states do not pay any salary for these.
Their income depends on the incentives given under various schemes. These incentives are provided to ‘ASHA workers’ for tasks like ensuring an institutional delivery or getting the child vaccinated. For all these works, they get only Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per month.