Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

The ASHA programme is now active in 33 states (except Goa, Chandigarh Puducherry).

Selection criteria for ASHAs

In the countryside

ASHA must primarily be a village woman who is married, widowed, or divorced, and ideally between the ages of 25 and 45.
She should be a literate woman, (Full form of ASHA) with preference given to those who are qualified up to the tenth grade, wherever they are interested and in large numbers. If no suitable person with this qualification is available, this can be eased.
Various community groups, self-help groups, Anganwadi Institutions, the Block Nodal officer, District Nodal officer, the local Health Committee, and the Gram Sabha will all be involved in the selection process.

In urban areas

ASHA must be a woman who lives in the "slum/vulnerable clusters" and belongs to the vulnerable group recognised by the City/District Health Society for ASHA selection.
She should be between the ages of 25 and 45 and ideally married, widowed, divorced, or separated.
ASHA should be able to communicate effectively in the area/population she is responsible for, have leadership abilities, and be able to reach out to the community.
She should be a literate lady with at least a tenth-grade education. If there are interested and willing women in Class XII, they should be given priority since they might eventually seek admission to ANM/GNM institutions as a career option.
If no eligible women with this qualification is available in the region or among that vulnerable population, the educational and age restrictions might be lowered.
A balance between marginalised representation and education must be maintained.
She should have familial and social support to help her find time to complete her responsibilities.
To effectively assist disadvantaged demographic groups, adequate representation from these groups should be assured.
Existing females Other community workers, such as urban ASHAs or link workers under NRHM or RCH II, JnNURM, SJSRY, and others, may be given precedence if they fulfil the residence, age, and educational standards listed above and are able to devote time to their activities.

Availability of ASHAs

In the countryside

Every community with a population of 1000 people has one Community Health Volunteer, also known as an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist). In terms of her recruitment, the states have been granted the ability to reduce population norms as well as educational qualifications on a case-by-case basis, based on local situations.

In the city

Prior to selecting an ASHA, it is critical that the City/District Health Society conducts a mapping of the city/urban regions, including a vulnerability assessment of persons living in slums or slum-like settings, and identifies "slum/vulnerable clusters" for ASHA selection.
"One ASHA for every 1000-2500 people" will be the typical rule for selecting ASHA in metropolitan areas. Because dwellings in metropolitan areas are typically clustered together in a narrow geographic region, an ASHA can cover anywhere from 200 to 500 families, depending on the physical constraints.
When the population covered exceeds 2500, another ASHA can be called in. The "slum/vulnerable clusters" selection of ASHA can be done at a lesser scale if there is geographic dispersion or scattered settlements of socially and economically disadvantaged populations.
Selecting more than one ASHA below the stated population standard will be advantageous in circumstances when a single geographic area includes the presence of more than one ethnic/vulnerable group. In this situation, one ASHA might be chosen for and from a certain vulnerable group, ensuring that their specific needs are met via a thorough awareness of the community's socio-cultural customs.
The selected ASHAs will preferably be co-located at an Anganwadi Centre that is operational at the slum level, so that services may be delivered at the doors
ASHAs will be chosen in metropolitan areas with populations of 50,000 or fewer, just as they are in rural regions.
Other community volunteers established through government programs can likewise be used for this purpose.

Roles and responsibilities

An ASHA's function is that of a community-based care provider. This entails a variety of responsibilities, including facilitating access to health care services, raising awareness about health care entitlements, particularly among the poor and marginalised, promoting healthy behaviours and mobilising for collective action for better health outcomes, and meeting curative care needs as appropriate to the organisation of service delivery in that area and compatible with her training and skills.

Compensation for ASHA

Although an ASHA employee is essentially a "honorary volunteer," she gets compensated for her time in certain circumstances (such as training attendance, monthly reviews and other meetings). She is also eligible for incentives provided by numerous national health programmes. She would also profit from social marketing of healthcare items such as condoms, contraceptive pills, and sanitary napkins, among other things. Her job should be designed in such a way that it does not interfere with her major source of income, and she should be paid adequately for the time she spends on these activities through performance-based rewards.

The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana will cover ASHAs and ASHA Facilitators (Life Insurance). The age range for eligibility is 18 to 70. Coverage is for a year, from June 1 to May 31, and the following benefits are included:–

2 lakh in the event of an accident death

In the event of total and irreversible loss of sight in both eyes, loss of use of both hands or feet, or loss of sight in one eye and loss of use of one hand or foot, Rs. 2 lakh is payable.

One lakh rupees in the event of total and irreversible loss of vision in one eye or loss of use of one hand or foot.

The central government would pay the yearly premium of Rs 12 per recipient.

ASHAs and ASHA Facilitators between the ages of 18 and 50 are eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (Accident insurance). The Central Government would pay a yearly premium of Rs. 330 (on average). Coverage is for a year, from June 1 to May 31, with a payout of Rs 2 lakh in event of death due to any reason.

As an incentive for everyday chores, ASHAs would get a minimum of Rs.2000 per month, up from the existing Rs 1000 per month. This will take effect in October 2018. This is on top of other task-based incentives that have been approved at the federal and state levels.