The Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) program is a cornerstone of India's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), launched in 2005 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

ASHA workers are trained female community health activists, typically selected from the village they serve, to act as a bridge between rural populations and the public healthcare system.

Their primary goal is to improve health outcomes, especially in underserved areas, by promoting awareness, facilitating access to services, and providing basic care.

ASHA workers are not full-time employees but receive performance-based incentives. Their duties include:

• Health Education: Raising awareness about nutrition, sanitation, maternal and child health, and disease prevention (e.g., malaria, tuberculosis).
• Maternal and Child Health: Supporting pregnant women with antenatal care, encouraging institutional deliveries, and promoting immunization for children.
• First Contact Care: Providing basic first aid and distributing essential medicines (e.g., oral rehydration salts, contraceptives).
• Mobilization: Linking communities to government health services, such as accompanying patients to primary health centers or organizing health camps.
• Record-Keeping: Maintaining village-level health data, like births, deaths, and disease outbreaks.

• Eligibility: Women aged 25-45, preferably with at least a 10th-grade education (though this can be relaxed in remote areas), married, widowed, or divorced, and residents of the village they serve.
• Training: Initial and ongoing training (typically 23 days spread over a year) covers health basics, communication skills, and local health program details.

As of recent data, there are over 1 million ASHA workers across India, covering nearly every rural village (one ASHA per 1,000 people). They've significantly contributed to:

• Reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.
• Increasing immunization coverage.
• Enhancing community trust in healthcare systems.

• Low Compensation: Incentives vary by state and task (e.g., ?200-300 per institutional delivery assisted), often considered inadequate for the workload.
• Overburdening: ASHAs frequently handle tasks beyond their original scope, like COVID-19 contact tracing.
• Resource Gaps: Limited access to supplies or support can hinder effectiveness.