ASHAs hailed for bringing down infant mortality

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 13

Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Atul Dulloo on Tuesday said the communitisation of the health services was the basic role of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). He said they worked hard to make the community healthier.

While addressing a meeting on Tuesday, he appreciated the ASHAs and ASHA supervisory cadres for their work which he said had helped in bringing down the infant mortality ratio in the state.

The two-day meeting, which was conducted by the National Health Mission (NHM), J&K, concluded on Tuesday.

Dulloo said the village health and nutrition days and village health, sanitation and nutrition committee meetings should be conducted regularly by ASHAs.

The Principal Secretary also highlighted the role of ASHAs in Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in reaching out to the beneficiaries.

Mission Director, NHM, J&K, Bhupinder Kumar briefed the meeting about the revised incentives of ASHAs approved by the Centre on the directions of the Prime Minister.

He also informed the meeting about the social security benefits launched and extended to ASHAs. In case of death, the next of kin of an ASHA will be given Rs 5 lakh, in case of disability Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for a medical condition requiring intervention.

In the meeting, all 10 districts of the Jammu division gave a detailed powerpoint presentation on the ASHA indicators and the field-level work done by the ASHA cadres.