An assessment of bicycle intervention to improve service delivery by accredited social health activists in selected blocks of West Champaran district of Bihar

摘要

Background: Several programmatic and logistic issues affect the overall performance of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs). Bihar Government provided bicycles to ASHAs in West Champaran district for increasing coverage of services by improving their mobility. Objective: To assess the use of bicycles by ASHAs and it's effect on service delivery. It also captures the perspectives of ASHAs in terms of its utilization for performing tasks. Methods: A community-based quasi-experimental study was undertaken during March-May 2016. Proportion of newborn babies visited within 24 h of birth was the primary outcome. Data were collected from two intervention blocks (West Champaran district) and a control block from the neighboring East Champaran district. A total of 323 (177 from intervention blocks and 146 from control block) mothers having children Results: Significantly higher proportion of mothers and newborn babies (44%) received postnatal care within 24 h of delivery in intervention blocks as compared to the control block (16%, P st day was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The intervention demonstrated the potential of ASHAs to improve their functioning at the grass-root level. The scale-up of bicycle intervention should be supplemented with reforms in financial incentives disbursement and better system support.