Importance of Community Health Workers for Maternal Health Care Management.

Publisher: Frontiers Media S. A Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 0370123 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0301-0422 (Print) Linking ISSN: 03010422 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Public Health Rev Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE

Publication: 2021- : Lausanne, Switzerland : Frontiers Media S. A.
Original Publication: Tel Aviv : International Health Publications.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.
Objectives: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are important healthcare professionals and key members of team. The purpose of this research is to identify the roles and responsibilities of CHWs in developed and developing countries who provide healthcare assistance to pregnant and lactating women. Methods: For this particular study, a comparison was conducted between CHWs role in seven developed countries, seven South Asian developing countries, and India, with special emphasis on improving maternal health status. Results: CHW programs are essential in communities, institutional health programs, and outreach delivery systems. Without active community involvement, CHWs cannot reach their full potential. Developed countries have frameworks for CHWs, such as the Swasthya Shebika Program, Village Health Worker Cadret, Lady Health Worker Programme, and Accredited Social Health Activist program. CHWs are well-paid in developed nations and work with marginalized groups to spread health messages. However, up to 60% of community health workers in low- and lower-middle-income countries do not receive remuneration. Conclusion: Health systems must support CHWs in choosing technical interventions and providing necessary training, supervision, and logistical support.
(Copyright © 2024 Gupta and Khan.)

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Keywords: ASHA workers; Anganwadi workers; community health workers; lactating mothers; pregnant women

Date Created: 20240308 Latest Revision: 20240309

20250114

PMC10917972

10.3389/phrs.2024.1606803

38455869