Context: For over two months, ASHA workers in Kerala have been protesting on the streets, demanding better remuneration and retirement benefits.
About Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)
- Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are community health workers who act as a bridge between the public health system and the community.
- They are trained and supported to work within their villages, promoting health awareness and improving community health through access to healthcare services.
- ASHAs are primarily women residents of the village selected through a rigorous process involving various community groups.
- The ASHA program was conceived and funded by the National Rural Health Mission(NHRM).
- NRHM was launched in 2005 to strengthen India’s healthcare delivery system, particularly for the poor and vulnerable in rural areas.
- States are required to employ at least one ASHA worker per 1,000 people.