The Full Form of ASHA is‍ Accredited Social Health Activist.

An accredited social health activist is a community health worker instituted by the government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a part of the National Rural Health Mission. The mission began in 2005; full implementation was targeted for 2012

In order to provide effective healthcare to the rural population, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) by government of India proposed introduction of female health workers village level. These workers are called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and their role is to act at an interface between the community and the government healthcare services. More specifically, she is responsible for promoting universal immunisation, referral and escort services for reproductive and child healthcare and other health care delivery programs.

In this context, this paper would discuss the role of the ASHAs in fulfilling these responsibilities and thus facilitating access to quality health care in rural areas. The paper draws on data collected as part of a larger research project on “Explaining differential immunisation coverage in India and Malawi”, a collaborative project between University of Oslo (Norway) and University of Delhi (India).