Guidebook for Enhancing Performance of Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) in Urban Areas

Providing healthcare to the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the urban area is the core focus of the National Urban Health Mission, in addition to serving the larger urban population. It is well established that urban health issues are distinct and require new skills and capacities to understand and respond to the differential health needs. The role of the ANM is critical to the success of the Mission. ANMs are the crucial component which connects the ASHAs and the communities with the public health system. In view of the emerging disease burden, the ANM’s role has been expanded to enable her to address communicable and noncommunicable diseases, in addition to her traditionally RCH centric functions. Thus, under NUHM, ANM is a health worker whose clinical role is as significant as her presence in the community. With the ANMs playing the role envisaged for them, it is hoped that the Mission will get the necessary fillip and reach out to the vulnerable groups in the urban areas. A well trained and well performing ANM will ensure that her allocated 10,000 population is being reached out with the defined basic primary healthcare including NCD services either through her or the ASHAs under her. This, when operationalized, will be a significant achievement under the Mission, taking it closer to its objective