ASHA is working under which program?

Hariyana-CHO-2021

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: Hariyana-CHO-2021

Explanation

ASHA stands for Accredited Social Health Activist, a cadre of community health volunteers.
The ASHA program was launched in 2005 as a key component of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
NRHM's goal was to strengthen the rural public health system, and ASHAs serve as the primary link between the community and health facilities.
NRHM was later subsumed into the larger National Health Mission (NHM), which now oversees the ASHA program in both rural and urban areas.

Option B: RCH is a program focused on delivering specific maternal and child health services. While ASHAs are key implementers of RCH activities, their cadre was created and is managed under the broader NRHM/NHM framework.
Option C: ICDS is a program run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Its frontline worker is the Anganwadi Worker (AWW), not the ASHA.
Option D: IMNCI is a clinical strategy and set of guidelines for managing childhood illnesses. It is not an employment program but a training module for health workers, including ASHAs.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain The administrative framework of community health workers in India's public health system as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses working in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) collaborate daily with ASHAs for community mobilization, patient follow-up, and health education.
Understanding the distinct roles of ASHA (health link), AWW (nutrition and early childhood), and ANM (skilled health provider) is crucial for effective teamwork and service delivery at the grassroots level.
What if? If a nurse at a PHC needs to ensure a high-risk pregnant woman in a remote village receives her iron-folic acid supplements and attends her next check-up, the most effective first step is to contact the village's ASHA worker to facilitate a home visit and counseling.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question, which is 'ASHA'.
Recall the full form and primary function of an ASHA: Accredited Social Health Activist, a community health worker.
Analyze the options provided, which are all major health-related initiatives in India.
Differentiate between an overarching mission (like NRHM), a specific service package (like RCH), a program from a different ministry (like ICDS), and a clinical management strategy (like IMNCI).
Connect the creation of the ASHA cadre to its parent program. The ASHA role was a foundational element of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) launched in 2005 to improve healthcare access in rural areas.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: The administrative framework of community health workers in India's public health system.
Stem keywords: ASHA, working under, program
Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) pp. 129-131, 137-139, 143-145