Vol VII, Issue 4
Date of Publication: October 28, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2022.077
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THEME EDITORIAL
Exploring ethics in the implementation of the Community Health Worker programmes in India
Vijayaprasad Gopichandran
Abstract:
The public health machinery in India is largely driven by the frontline community health workers (CHWs), namely the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and other multipurpose health workers. They play a vital role as intermediaries between the community and the health system. The ANMs perform important tasks such as spreading health promotion messages, supporting behavioural change, surveillance of diseases, delivery of maternal and child health services at the doorsteps of beneficiaries, prevention of common minor ailments and other public health tasks, as and when the need arises [1]. The ASHAs are trained female health workers who mobilise people to utilise health services and also provide basic primary healthcare.
Copyright and license
©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2022: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
May I congratulate the author on a well written summary of a mammoth challenge faced by the health system today.
As an experienced public health specialist I can verify the facts the article outlines, even as I work on the ground in a small part of Bangalore Urban district.
The needs of this backbone of our work must be looked at urgently and holistically and I do hope this article will help to gain momentum to achieve that end.
I have not read yet, the original five contributions, but will surely do so. The last, on mental health is of particular significance, as our youth face unknown challenges in the years to come