PERFORMANCE OF ACCREDITED SOCIAL HEALTH ACTIVISTS - ASHA WORKERS, IN A RURAL BLOCK OF NORTHERN INDIA AND THE PARAMETERS AFFECTING IT.

*Meely Panda, Neelam Kumar, Dr. Brij Mohan Vashisht, Dr. Shalini Ray and Dr. Amrita Konar 

ABSTRACT

Objective: Objective of this study was to assess the performance of ASHAs in a rural block of district Rohtak in Haryana and to evaluate the factors affecting it. Methods: All the ASHAs in the entire block of CHC Chiri in district Rohtak were provided a pretested semi structured schedule for the study from October 2012 to January 2013. They were called up to a common place i.e. CHC to test their theoretical knowledge. The questions were prepared by the investigator herself after going through the booklet used for the training of ASHAs and pertaining to their roles and responsibilities. Results: The performance assessment of ASHAs was arranged into three categories ie 7% poor scorers (<50%), 32% average scorers (50-75%) and 61% good scorers (>75%). The responses of ASHAs to the surprise test regarding the basics of their roles and responsibilities were evaluated. ASHAs with higher household income fared better than lower income (p< 0.05). All the factors except for the onjob training had statistical significance. In the performance test, 77% of good scorers complained of some or other types of difficulty while working in comparison to 100% of poor scorers (p> 0.05), 94% among the good scorers were satisfied with their career prospects in comparison to 100% dissatisfied poor scorers (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Performance of an ASHA is determined by factors such as her training status which includes the number of days trained, effectiveness and on job training. Besides, certain socio-demographic factors also contribute to improved performance in tests.

Keywords: ASHA workers, income, questionnaire, performance, training.