In NRHM, which personnel act as patient navigators and facilitate maternal and child health services?

• A. Medical students
• B. Community health volunteers from NGOs
• C. Private nurses
• D. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)

Answer: (D)

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are the community-based health workers designated under NRHM to act as patient navigators. They are chosen from the village and trained to connect families with health services, with a strong focus on maternal and child health. Their role includes informing and counseling women about antenatal care, registering pregnancies early, promoting institutional delivery, coordinating transport to facilities, and following up with new mothers and children for postnatal care and immunizations. They serve as the linkage between the community and the health system, helping families access timely and appropriate services and referrals, and they often receive incentives for meeting maternal and child health targets. This makes them the best fit for the role described.