National Rural Health Mission - Rural Health Scheme

Objectives of the National Rural Health Mission

The objectives of the National Rural Health Mission are:

• To implement strong strategies for monitoring and evaluation

• To improve the quality of health service delivery at all levels

• To make quality health care affordable and accessible to the rural population

• To combine facility-based care with community-led health initiatives

• To achieve a functional quality-assured framework for health services

• To create a robust and resilient net of health services for the rural and at-risk groups to fall back on

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Features of NRHM Scheme

Here’s a look at the features and highlights of the National Rural Health Mission:

• Augment the functionality and accountability of the public health delivery system for the community

• Efficient management of human resources

• Increase the involvement of the community

• Decentralisation of the NRHM scheme’s specialised healthcare services

• Close monitoring and evaluation of services provided against carefully set standards

• Intersectional convergence of health and related programmes from village level upwards

• Creative development and implementation of healthcare services

• Financing the existing and newly implemented programmes

• Interventions at regular intervals to improve the existing health indicators

Benefits of National Rural Health Mission

Based on the above features and objectives, the benefits of the National Rural Health Mission in India are:

• Access to affordable and quality medical facilities as well as services

• Reduced maternal and new-born mortality among the rural population

• Increased awareness about instant treatment in the rural population

• 450+ districts with Mobile Medical Unit that covers medical emergencies

• Accessible treatment for transmissible diseases and chronic diseases

• Better understanding of the adverse effects of harmful effects such as tobacco and smoking

• Free healthcare for postnatal and prenatal care

• Reduces the number of people who smoke or chew tobacco

• Free ambulance service made available 

• Increased and improved equipment with funding from the government

• Strengthened medical infrastructure

How to Avail the NRHM Benefits?

To avail of the benefits of the National Rural Health Mission, you must meet the eligibility requirement. Since the scheme aims to offer medical services and facilities to the underserved and rural community, you need to be a resident of the declared areas where the NRHM will operate. 

The application process for availing of the benefits is fairly straightforward. Once you know that you are eligible, you can do either of these to avail the benefits of this rural health mission:

• Visit the official website of NRHM and assess your options

• Contact the assigned ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker at your nearest Anganwadi centre

• Call the toll-free number 1800-180-1900 to resolve queries and know your complaint status

Strategies Of NRHM

The National Rural Health Mission deploys many core strategies to achieve these objectives. Some of them are:

• Decentralisation

Quality health care is only available through health facilities owned at the central and state-level or privately in India. NRHM aims to change this equation by building capacity for managing health services at the Panchayat level.

• Deployment of human resources

NRHM deploys human resources like ASHAs and MPWs at critical points to close service gaps.

• Data collection

National Rural Health Mission adopts specially developed metrics and data collection and analysis techniques to track and improve the health indicators.

• Promotes public-private partnerships

NRHM works to achieve affordable services by regulating the private sector at the practitioner level. Increasing public-private partnerships and non-profit initiatives in focused zones work to augment this.

Community Participation Initiatives under the NRHM Scheme

• National Rural Health Mission holds several awareness drives, sensitisation programmes, campaigns and capacity-building efforts to mobilise effort at the community level.

• NRHM appoints Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs to integrate service delivery with community efforts. They are responsible for distributing goods and equipment to the stakeholders under NRHM.

• Community-led health efforts brought about through innovative behavioural change-based interventions with solid support for non-profit initiatives.

NRHM Institutional Process

National Rural Health Mission focuses on the key personnel and institutions and their responsibilities to improve the available healthcare services. The National Mission Steering Group guides the processes implemented by NRHM.

For example, National Rural Health Mission:

• Integrates the Departments of Health and Family Welfare at state and national levels.

• Appoints Rogi Kalyan Samitis for community management of public hospitals,

• Assigns Village Health and Sanitation Committee for mobilising human resources.

Achievements of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)

Targets and Achievements under NRHM from 2005-12:

Targets and Achievements for NRHM between 2012 and 2017:

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