Contribution of ASHA Workers in Improving Child Health in Rural Rajasthan, through Social Work

National Health Mission (NHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has deployed a trained female Community Health Worker called ―Accredited Social Health Activist‖ (ASHA) in every village of India to serve the most marginalized and vulnerable rural population, under its Community Health Programme. Every ASHA worker approximately covers a population of 1000. ASHA performs various roles for improving health of the community such as creating awareness about services available at public health facilities, mobilizing community towards health planning and providing a package of preventive & promotive health care, through social mobilization. One of the domains of ASHA worker is, providing child health services in the community and counselling support to mothers on new born and child health practices. These include, promoting exclusive breastfeeding till six months; complementary feeding from six months; promoting routine immunization; providing counselling on hand washing; facilitating prophylactic distribution of oral rehydration solution (ORS) and paediatric iron and folic acid (IFA) syrup; ensuring regular growth monitoring; early child development (ECD); and promoting care seeking during sickness. The article analyzed the role of ASHA workers in improving knowledge and practices of mothers on child health in rural areas of Rajasthan, through comparative analysis of National Family Health Survey 3 and 4; and primary data collected from ASHAs and Mothers. The analysis of primary data collected from mothers and ASHAs has revealed major contribution of ASHAs in increasing knowledge and practices of mothers on child health and the findings directly correlates to and vindicates the improvement remarked in child health indicators derived from comparative analysis between NFHS 3 and 4 on child health indicators.