India launched National Rural Health Mission
Apr 12, 2005, 23:27, Reviewed by: Dr.
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The Indian Prime Minister described health as �a cumulative output of a set of conditions and sincerely hoped that the archeological corrections aimed at by the Mission will improve delivery of healthcare.
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By PIB, India,
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has called for putting in place a monitoring system for health which will look more towards the community. Delivering the keynote address after the launch of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) here today, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the present National Health Survey does not reflect information relating to district and sub-district levels. He said, there was a need to reorient systems to support accountability by developing district health reports.
Terming the Mission as one which �seeks to overall the delivery of healthcare�, he said that today, the Government is fulfilling one of the most important promises made in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP). He said, over the years, Government had failed to address the issue of comprehensive healthcare and had �abandoned this approach and public healthcare for specified diseases�. As a result, we have paid �inadequate attention to public health issues and social and preventive medicine�, he said.
The Prime Minister described health as �a cumulative output of a set of conditions and sincerely hoped that the archeological corrections aimed at by the Mission will improve delivery of healthcare.
On the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), the Prime Minister said the scheme will establish her as a �change agent� for health and she together with the Anganwadi workers and the Auxiliary Nurse Midwives will be in a position to develop inter-sectoral plans.
The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said that the Mission attempts a major shift in the governance of public health by giving leadership to Panchayati Raj institutions. He said the Mission aims to increase the outreach of the health system to village and even household levels through ASHA.
The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi in her welcome address said that the launch of the NRHM would fulfill the UPA Government�s commitment for providing, comprehensive, preventive, promotive and curative public healthcare services to the people especially the poor in rural areas and urban slums with special focus on 18 states.
The NRHM launched today recognizes the importance of health in the process of economic and social development and improving the quality of lives of our citizens. The Mission adopts a synergistic approach by relating health to determinants of good health viz. segments of nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and safe drinking water. It also aims at mainstreaming the Indian systems of medicine to facilitate health care.
The Plan of action includes increasing public expenditure on health, reducing regional imbalance in health infrastructure, pooling resources, integration of organizational structures, optimization of health manpower, decentralization and district management of health programmes, community participation and ownership of assets, induction of management and financial personnel into district health system, and Operationalizing community health centres into functional hospitals, meeting Indian Public Health Standards in each Block of the Country.
The Goal of the Mission is to improve the availability of and access to quality healthcare by people, especially for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women and children.
The NRHM seeks to provide effective healthcare to rural population throughout the country with special focus on 18 states, which have weak public health indicators and/or weak infrastructure. These 18 states are Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.
It has as its key components provision of a female health activist in each village; a village health plan prepared through a local team headed by the Health & Sanitation Committee of the Panchayat; strengthening of the rural hospital for effective curative care and made measurable and accountable to the community through Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS); and integration of vertical Health & Family Welfare Programmes and Funds for optimal utilization of funds and infrastructure and strengthening delivery of primary healthcare.
Every village/large habitat will have a female Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) � chosen by and accountable to the panchayat � to act as the interface between the community and the public health system. The States will be free to choose State specific models.
ASHA would act as a bridge between the ANM and the village and be accountable to the Panchayat.
She will be an honorary volunteer, receiving performance based compensation for promoting universal immunization, referral and escort services for RCHs, construction of household toilets, and other healthcare delivery programmes.
She will be promoted all over the country, with special emphasis on the 18 high focus states. The Government of India will bear the cost of training, incentives and medical kits. The remaining components will be funded under Financial Envelope given to the States under the programme.
She will be given a Drug Kit containing generic AYUSH and allopathic formulations for common ailments. The drug kit would be replenished from time to time.
Induction training of ASHA to be of 23 days in all, spread over 12 months. On the job training would continue throughout the year.
As part of the measure to strengthen sub-centres, each sub-centre will have an Untied Fund for local action @ Rs.10,000 per annum. This fund will be deposited in a joint bank account of the ANM & Sarpanch and operated by the ANM, in consultation with the Village Health Committee.
There will be supply of essential drugs, both allopathic and AYUSH, to the sub-centres. 
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India
The Mission aims at strengthening Primary Health Centres (PHCs) for quality preventive, promotive, curative, supervisory and Outreach services.
A key strategy of the Mission is strengthening Community Health Centres for First Referral Care and Operationalizing 3222 existing Community Health Centres (30-50 beds) as 24 Hour First Referral Units, including posting of anesthetists.
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