science

Operation ASHA

Operation ASHA is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Operation ASHA rather than just read about it. In short: Operation ASHA (OpASHA) is a non-profit organization (NGO) founded in 2006 to bring tuberculosis (TB) treatment at economically feasible rates to disadvantaged communities. The organization's primary work is to detect and cure TB, as well as to prevent and treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in India and Cambodia.

Key takeaways

Operation ASHA belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Operation ASHA to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Operation ASHA from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Operation ASHA (OpASHA) is a non-profit organization (NGO) founded in 2006 to bring tuberculosis (TB) treatment at economically feasible rates to disadvantaged communities. The organization's primary work is to detect and cure TB, as well as to prevent and treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in India and Cambodia. Operation ASHA specializes in last-mile connectivity, bridging the gap between government medicine distribution centers and the communities of patients to deliver treatment at the doorsteps of the under-served. In addition to detecting and curing TB, OpASHA's community health workers also educate the community about TB and its symptoms thereby helping to reduce the stigma there is regarding the disease. In addition to TB, Operation ASHA's model and technology has been used in many other diseases such as diabetes, hemophilia and mental health. Operation ASHA was founded by Dr. Shelly Batra and Sandeep Ahuja. In India, Operation ASHA works under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program as a private-sector DOTS-provider. Operation ASHA is a member of the Stop TB Partnership's Coordinating Board. In 2010, a collaboration with Microsoft Research developed eCompliance, a biometric terminal for monitoring TB patients.

Founders' Bios Dr. Shelly Batra is the President of Operation ASHA since 2005. She is Schwab Foundation's Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014, renowned Senior Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Advanced Laparoscopy Surgeon. She is an advocate for better policies in TB across the world. As CEO, Sandeep has led the organization since 2006. He was member of the Board of the Stop TB Partnership from 2009 to 2012 where he represented NGOs of developing countries. Before founding Operation ASHA, Sandeep served for many years as additional commissioner for the Government of India.

Social model

Operation ASHA provides TB treatment through convenient DOTS clinics in familiar places like shops and temples to reduce stigma. They also offer mobile services in rural areas. By offering flexible hours and community-based care, they help patients, especially daily wage earners, complete treatment without missing work. Operation ASHA stresses upon employing and training disadvantaged youths from the local community who understand the local culture and customs as TB-specific health workers. Two-thirds of Operation ASHA's staff is semi-literate/illiterate. Currently, Operation ASHA serves over 15 million people in India and Cambodia, with a team of over 250 field workers, 150 community partners, and over 4000 village workers. In addition, people are employed in India in the field of haemophilia detection and care.

Impact Operation ASHA increases TB-detection rate by 50–400% within 6–18 month of starting work in any area. Also, DST-TB treatment default rate has been maintained at 3%, compared to 32% in a triangulation study in India. As of 2016, Operation ASHA has treated a total of 75,719 patients of DST-TB in India (including 9,003 patients in Cambodia), 366 patients of MDR-TB, two patient of XDR-TB, and one patient of XXDR-TB. Another XDR-TB is also undergoing treatment in India. 342 haemophilia patients have been detected and started on treatment. Operation ASHA has also detected thousands of patients of diabetes, heart disease and depression, and is helping with the management of their health issues. Following treatment, patients earn an additional $13,935 (Rs. 8.36 Lakh) on average through reinstated productivity in their lifetime (Annual TB Report 2013, Government of India). Thus, treated patients have benefited by a whopping $843 million (Rs. 5,485.3 Crore). Also, with treatment of each patient, the economy saves $12,235 (Rs 7.34 Lakh) in indirect losses (Annual TB Report 2013, Government of India). Thus, the Indian and Cambodian economies have saved a total of $740.9 million (Rs 4,816.1 Crore) for patients who have successfully completed the treatment. Operation ASHA has also distributed millions of analgesic, antacid, antiemetic, iron and calcium tablets, condoms, Oral Rehydration Salts, protein supplements, in addition to 8 tons of food and 9000 blankets. Till January 2021, a total of around 4930 patients had been enrolled and more than 105,550 supervised doses had been logged through eCompliance. The default rate had also been reduced to 1.5 percent, which is much less than that of other institutions. Additionally, the total cost of treating a patient is $80 in comparison to $300 among other NGOs. In year 2013, Operation ASHA's president, Dr. Shelly Batra, was chosen as Social Entrepreneur of the Year, in recognition of this innovative and effective methodology. In addition to combating tuberculosis and simultaneously addressing the effects of global poverty.

Operation ASHA in India In India, Operation ASHA serves 5.1 million people of the population, operating in the following Indian states for tuberculosis: Delhi NCR (East Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal, Khargone, Barwani-district, Indore, Khandwa, Vidisha, Gwalior), Maharashtra (Bhiwandi, Malegaon, Vasai), Odisha (Bhubhaneswar), Rajasthan (Jaipur), and Himachal Pradesh (Solan, Sirmour, Kullu, Mandi). Operation ASHA's hemophilia centers are located in Haryana (Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa) and Uttar Pradesh (Aligarh, Meerut and Lucknow).

Operation ASHA in Cambodia In Cambodia, Operation ASHA works closely with the National Tuberculosis Program, operating in 14 Operational Districts across 6 provinces and working with a total of 164 Health Centers. Overall, 15% (2.3 million) of Cambodia's population are provided with services by Operation ASHA. Since starting operations in Dec 2010, when Operation ASHA opened its first short-course (DOTS) center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it has enrolled more than 11,500 patients for Tuberculosis treatment. Health care workers travel to villages on motor-bikes, carrying drugs and supplies. Health care team members approaches community members who exhibit Tuberculosis symptoms and administer medicines to patients in their homes. Operation ASHA Cambodia Website: http://opashacambodia.org Archived 2016-10-05 at the Wayback Machine

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Operation ASHA

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Operation ASHA claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Operation ASHA before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Operation ASHA ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Operation ASHA

In research: Operation ASHA appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Operation ASHA in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Operation ASHA is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2005 establishments in India, Health charities in India, Organizations established in 2005, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Operation ASHA outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Operation ASHA in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Operation ASHA means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Operation ASHA out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Operation ASHA in simple terms?

Why does Operation ASHA matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Operation ASHA?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Operation ASHA.