With reference to National Rural Health Mission, which of the following are the jobs of ’ASHA’, a trained community health worker? 1. Accompanying women to the health facility for antenatal care checkup 2. Using pregnancy test kits for early detection of pregnancy 3. Providing information on nutrition and immunization 4. Conducting the delivery of baby Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) serves as a vital link between the community and the public health system [5]. Her primary responsibilities include accompanying pregnant women to health facilities for antenatal care (ANC) and institutional deliveries [2]. ASHAs are trained to use pregnancy test kits for early detection of pregnancy and are responsible for distributing these kits along with other basic medical supplies. They also play a crucial role in health education, providing information on nutrition, immunization, and sanitation [4]. However, ASHAs are not trained to conduct deliveries; their role is to facilitate institutional delivery and provide postnatal care through home visits [2]. While they may assist in home deliveries in exceptional cases, it is not their designated job; that responsibility lies with skilled birth attendants like ANMs [3].

Sources

1. [2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7567289/
2. [5] https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/communitisation/asha/Handbook_for_ASHA_Facilitators.pdf
3. [4] https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/communitisation/task-group-reports/guidelines-on-asha.pdf
4. [3] https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/communitisation/asha/book-no-6.pdf