Parliament Question: Non-Availability of ASHA Drug Kits

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO.3434 TO BE ANSWERED ON07.08.2026 NON-AVAILABILITYOFASHADRUG KITS †3434.SHRIARUN KUMAR SAGAR: Will the MINISTER OFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate: (a) whether the overall maternal and child health situation in Shahjahanpur District of Uttar Pradeshiscritical with Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) such asAntenatalCare (ANC) check-ups, breastfeeding rates and low birth weight infants falling below the national and Stateaverages,if so,the detailsthereof; (b) whether the non-availability of ASHA drug kits and the low level of compliance with the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) have further weakened the healthcare deliverysystem inthe region, if so, the detailsthereof; (c) whether the Government proposes toaccord top priority toShahjahanpur District of Uttar Pradesh, for health sector improvements and provide a special Central assistance package for strengthening maternal and child healthservices, ASHAempowerment and healthcare infrastructure, if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether the said package islikely toinclude comprehensive financial assistance, a robust monitoringmechanism and capacity-buildingmeasures, if so, the detailsthereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL) (a) The Key performance Indicators (KPIs) under maternal and child health at National and Statelevel includingShahjahanpurdistrict of Uttar Pradeshisplaced inAnnexure. (b)As per the report received from the State of Uttar Pradesh, ASHA drug kits are provided toallASHAworkers across the State includingShahjahanpurdistrict. The ASHA Drug Kit enables them to deliver first-contact curative care and provide symptomatic relief, facilitate timely referral when required, and manage cases in accordancewiththeprotocolstheyhavebeentrainedtofollow.Similarly, to improve the quality of healthcare services, the Ministry has implemented the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) across public healthcare facilities, from Ayushman Arogya Mandir–Sub Health Centres to District Hospitals. (c) and (d) Under the National Health Mission, the Government of India provides technical and financial support to the States and Union Territories for strengthening the maternal and childhealth services, ASHAempowerment and healthcare infrastructure based onthe Annual ProgramImplementation Plan(PIP)submitted byrespective State/UT. The details of various schemes and initiatives being implemented across all States/UTs, includingShahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh,are givenbelow:  Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promotinginstitutional delivery.  Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesareansection. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free dietduring stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlementsare also inplace for sick infantsuptoone yearof age.  Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9thdayof everymonth. ExtendedPMSMAstrategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMAvisit.  Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.  OptimizingPostnatal Careaims to strengthen the quality of post-natal care by laying emphasis ondetectionof dangersigns inmothersandincentivization of AccreditedSocial Health Activists (ASHAs) for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers.  Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) an outreach activity at Anganwadi centres ensures service provision of maternal and childcare in convergence with the ICDS.  Outreach camps are provisioned for improving the reach of health care services especially in tribal and hard to reach areas. This platform is used to increase awareness for the Maternal & Child healthservices, communitymobilization aswell asto trackhigh risk pregnancies.  Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefitschemesandinstitutional deliveries. Strengthening of infrastructure, including functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs), setting up of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings, operationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU), establishment of Birth Waiting Homes (BWHs) in difficult terrain, remote and tribal areasfor improvedaccesstohealthcare facilitiesandpromotinginstitutional delivery.  Facility Based Newborn Care: Special New-born Care Units (SNCUs)/ Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are established at District Hospital and Medical College level, Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are established at First Referral Units (FRUs)/ Community Health Centres (CHCs) for care of sick and small babies. Mother Newborn Care Units (MNCUs) have beenestablished toensure 'zeroseparation', enabling 24×7 integrated care of sick and small newborns together with their mothers while promotingfamilyparticipatory care.  Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) has been implemented at facility and community level to low birth weight/ pre-term infants that includes early and prolonged skin-to-skin contactwith the mother or familymemberandexclusive andfrequent breastfeeding.  Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK): Under Home Based New-born Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC) program, home visits are performed by ASHAs to improve child-rearing practices and to identify sick newborn andyoung childreninthe community.Buildingon these initiatives,the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently released the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK), a unified national programme that integrates HBNC and HBYC into a single continuum of home and community-based care for every child from birth to 36 months, with the vision of "पहलेतीनसाल सम्र्देखभाल".  Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) initiative implemented since 2019 for reduction of childhood morbidityand mortality due toPneumonia.  STOP Diarrhoea campaign is implemented for promoting use of ORS and Zinc and for reducingmorbidityandmortality due tochildhooddiarrhoea.  Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) 2.0: Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) provides child health screening and early intervention services for defects, diseases, deficiencies anddelaystoimprove the qualityof survival of children0-18 years. Recently, MoHFW released the RBSK 2.0 Operational Guidelines, expanding the programmatic framework toinclude emerging childhealthpriorities. Under this initiative, the Ministry also released the Guidance Document on Diabetes Mellitus in Children, which provides a standardized national framework for the screening, diagnosis, treatment andlong-term management of diabetesamongchildren.ASHAEmpowermentisenabled throughvarious measuresasmentionedbelow ;  Participation:ASHAs,primarilywomen,areselectedfromtheircommunities,harnessing localwomen'spotentialtopromotehealthandadvocateforchange.ASHAsareempowered by the exposure and social affirmation gained through their work and active engagement withintheircommunities.  Economic Empowerment: The ASHA programme offers women a means to generate income while serving their communities, especially beneficial for women in areas with limited economic opportunities. This financial independence also contributes to personal, family,andcommunitywell-being.  Leadership and Decision-Making: ASHAs gain leadership experience by conducting meetings, mobilizing communities, and advocating for health rights. This leadership translates to confidence and agency, expanding their role beyond healthcare and contributingtowomen'sempowerment.  Breaking Social Barriers: ASHAs' participation challenges traditional gender roles, highlighting women's competence in healthcare decision-making, shifting perceptions withincommunities.  Healthcare as Empowerment Avenue: ASHAs bridge the gap between the community and public health system. Their advocacy for maternal and child health, family planning, breast cancer, cervical cancer and adolescent health etc. empowers women to prioritize healthandinformedchoices. MonitoringMechanism: Under National Health Mission (NHM), the Government monitor the central assistance package for strengthening maternal and child health services through a robust, multi-layered framework that includes review of State wise key deliverables against approved target during NPCC Meetings with all States/UTs, regular assessment of performance through the Output- Outcome Monitoring Framework (OOMF), in addition annual common review Missions (CRMs) provides independent, on-ground assessments of programme implementations, health system strengthening, and progress on key on key indicators , enabling identification of gaps, course correctionandstrengthening of accountabilityat StateandDistrict levels. *****Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 3434 to be answered on07.08.2026 Annexure National Stateof Uttar District of KeyPerformanceIndicator(KPI) Level Pradesh Shahjahanpur (NFHS-6) (NFHS-6) (NFHS-5) Mothers who hadanantenatal check-upinthe 76.2 70.6 61.4 first trimester (%) * Mothers who hadat least 4 antenatal care visits 65.2 51.8 35.3 (%) * Childrenunderage 3 yearsbreastfed within one 50.1 43.1 27.6 hour of birth(%) * Childrenunderage 6 monthsexclusively 55.8 34.6 55.1 breastfed (%) * Lowbirthweight infants (Less than2500 gm) 13.8 10.9 14.6 (%) ** Source-*NFHS6and** HMIS FY2025-26 (Data forDistrict-wise NFHS-6 isnot available asyet)