'Asha' to run village health centres

NEW DELHI: With the government focusing attention on public health at the village level, the National Rural Health Mission is all set to be launched next month.
Having a proposed budget of Rs 8,000 crore to be spent in the next two years, the mission would comprise a health centre in every village. The centre will be headed by ''Asha'' (Accredited Social Health Activist).Asha will the women''s representative from the village and will be chosen by the village health committee of the panchayat, the auxiliary nurse midwife and local women''s committee.
Asha will run the centre in the village which will have stocks of medicines of common use and contraceptives. According to sources in the health ministry, the concept has been approved by the PM and will initially be implemented in 18 states, including the North-Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Orissa and Rajasthan.