New Delhi, Jan. 4: The Union cabinet today approved the formation of a national rural health mission in keeping with the Centre?s promise to provide an administration that cares for rural India.

The mission aims at extending basic health services to villages through a cadre of workers who will be equipped to bring healthcare to people?s doorsteps. A team of community health professionals will monitor these accredited social health activists, who will be mainly picked from local volunteers.

The chosen candidates would be trained for six months in basic services like help with childbirth, inoculations, and treatment for common ailments like diarrhoea, cold and minor stomach ailments.

They will then be assigned to a village for hands-on training for another six months at a monthly stipend of Rs 100. They can, however, earn more by helping with deliveries, providing first aid and recommending basic medicines. They will get accreditation at the end of the one-year training.

These village-level health activists, the health ministry believes, can provide the basic medical help required. They can also advise villagers to go for advanced treatment if an ailment is serious.

The health mission proposes to provide to villages 250,000 of these activists. Over 2,000 community health centres would be upgraded to meet a uniform set of standards.

?For the first time, Indian public health standards, akin to ISO standards, are being developed to set quality benchmarks for improving public hospitals,? the government said in a statement today.

The Prime Minister will head the steering group to give focus to the mission though the nodal ministry will be that of health and family welfare. The members of the steering committee will be ministers of related departments, the Planning Commission deputy chairperson and public health activists from civil society.

The mission will receive Rs 6,510 crore in 2005-06. It would ensure effects a major correction in the delivery of services in a sector that is expected to receive more funds in keeping with the United Progressive Alliance?s common minimum programme.

Emergency facilities

The cabinet committee on economic affairs today approved a Rs 110-crore proposal for providing financial assistance to upgrade and strengthen emergency facilities in government hospitals located on national highways. The outlay has been earmarked for the Tenth Plan period, which ends in 2007.

A grant of up to Rs 1.5 crore will be provided to government hospitals on national highways to upgrade their emergency facilities.