The Assam Community Health Professionals (Registration and Competency) Act, 2015
                      - [c]i.'istr **_/c i 4_** Registered No.-768/97

# THE ASSAM GAZETTE

## EXTRAORDINARY
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### __  PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHORITY

^ 1 3 6 WflSSJN, 29 GJ’, 2015, 8 CSiX 1937 (*fa)

No. 136 Dispur, Friday. 29th May, 2015, 8th Jaistha, 1937 (S.E.)

GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM

                 - ORDERS BY THE GOVERNOR

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT : :: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

**NOTIFICATION**

The 29th May, 2015

                           -

**No. LGL.179/2014/19 - The following Act of the Assam Legislative Assembly which received**

the assent of the Governor is hereby published for general information.

**ASSAM ACT NO. XV OF 2015**

**(Received the assent of the Governor on 20th May, 2015)**

**THE ASSAM COMMUNITY HEALTH PROFESSIONALS'**

**(REGISTRATION AND COMPETENCY) ACT, 2015**


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254
THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015

## AN
 ACT

♦

to provide for registration norms and competency of the Community Health

Professionals, after passing B.Sc. (Community Health) Course and to give

same status to the students who have completed or have been undergoing the

Diploma in Medicine and Rural Health Care (DMRHC) course in Medical

Institute, Jorhat with that of B.Sc (Community Health) course, to enable them

to serve as Paramedical personnel in the State of Assam.

Preamble Whereas it is expedient to provide for registration norms and competency

of the Community Health Professionals, after passing B.Sc (Community

Health) course and to give same status to the students who have completed or

have been undergoing the Diploma in Medicine and Rural Health Care

(DMRHC) course in Medical Institute, Jorhat with that of B.Sc (Community

Health) course, to enable them to serve as Paramedical personnel in the State

of Assam and the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto;

It is hereby.enacted in the Sixty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as

follows

Short title, 1. (1) This Act may be called the Assam Community Health Professionals'
extent and (Registration and Competency) Act, 2015.
commence­

... It extends to the whole of Assam.

ment

Definitions 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) “Act” means the Assam Community Health Professionals'

(Registration and Competency) Act, 2015 ;

(b) “Certificate” means a Certificate of Registration issued by the

Director of Medical Education, Research and Training, Assam

under section 3 of this A ct;

(c) “Community Health Professionals” means the persons who

have been registered as such by the Director and issued a

Certificate of Registration in accordance with the provisions

of section 3 of this A ct,


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THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015 255

(d) “Course” means the prescribed Paramedical Course of B.Sc

(Community Health) or in short B.Sc (CH) as approved by the

Union Cabinet, conveyed vide Govt, of India's letter No. DO

No. V 11025/40 /2009/ MEP-I Dated 31/12/2013 ;

(e) “Director” means the Director of Medical Education, Research

and Training, Assam ;

(f) “Government” means the State Government of Assam;

(g) “Rules” means the rules made under this A c t,

(h) “State” means the State of Assam. .

Registration 3. (1) Every student who successfully completes the Course from any

institution permitted by the Government of Assam to run the Course,

                                   - . shall be registered by the Director at Directorate of Medical

Education, Assam, Guwahati and shall be issued with a Certificate of

Registration as Community Health Professional.

(2) The students who have already completed or have been undergoing

the Diploma in Medicine and Rural Health Care (DMRHC) course

in the Medical Institute, Jorhat, on the date of commencement of

this Act, shall be deemed to have completed or have been

undergoing as the case may be, the Paramedical Course of B.Sc

(CH) for the purposes of this Act and shall acquire the same status

to that of B.Sc (Community Health) graduates and they shall also

be registered by the Director and issued w'ith Certificate of

Registration as Community Health Professionals :

Provided that the Certificate of Registration issued by the

Director under this sub-section to the students who have already

completed Diploma in Medicine and Rural Health Care

(DMRHC)course from the Medical Institute, Jorhat, shall be

            - deemed to have been issued by the Director with effect from the

date Of issue of their respective Diplomas from the said Institute:

Provided further that the students who have been undergoing

the Diploma in Medicine and Rural Health Care (DMRHC) course

in the Medical Institute, Jorhat on the commencement of this Act,

shall be deemed to have been undergoing the Course as defined

under this Act and they shall be issued Certificate of Registration

under this Act by the Director on completion of their Course.


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256
THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015

Duties and . (1) The Community Health Professionals may be designated as
Functions of
the Community Health Officers (CHO) by the Government and shall
Community
Health work at Sub-Centre level and any such places as may be determined
Profession­
als by the Government from time to time.

### (2) Subject to the provisions of this Act and the rules framed there

 under the Community Health Officers shall discharge their duties

 and perform their functions as per competency mapping of the B.Sc

 (CH) Course approved by the Government of India.

 (3) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing

 provisions of sub-section (2), the Community Health Officers shall

 be responsible for,-

 (a) assisting the Medical Officers as per competencies of
 Community Health Professionals' as laid down in Section 5 of this Act as and when called for in coordination of NHPs, management of ASHAs, Training and other responsibilities under NHM apart from overall administration and Management of CHC etc. and quality and protocols of service delivery being delivered in CHCs;
 (b) assisting the Medical Officers as per competencies of
 Community Health Professionals’ as laid down in
 Section 5 of this Act as and when called for in organizing out-patient, OT, referral, emergency, lab services,
 guidance in treatment of ailments to PHC staff, coordination with referral institutions, planning and
 implementation of immunization services, organize
 training of health workers, implementation of health and other national programmes, act as planner, promoter, director, supervisor, coordinator as well as evaluator etc;

 (c) assisting the Medical Officers as per competencies of
 Community Health Professionals’ as laid down in
 Section 5 of this Act as and when called for in supervising and guiding the health workers, knowledge augmentation and leading the health workers, supplies, equipment and. maintenance of health workers, review and scrutinize reports of health workers, training of dais and ASHA, maternal and child health, family planning and medical termination of pregnancy, nutrition,
 immunization, health education, primary medical care, school health etc;”

 (d) immunization, antenatal, natal and postnatal care, prevention of

 malnutrition and common childhood diseases, family planning

 services and counseling dai training, health education, notifying

 diseases to medical officer, recording and reporting vital events,

 record keeping treatment of minor ailments etc. ,


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THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015 257

(e) treatment of simple ailments and activities in first aid, mother

and child health, family planning, health education, sanitation,

safe delivery, health check-ups, immunization, referral services,

counseling of mother, etc.

Competencies of 5 The competencies for the Community Health Professionals shall be
the Community
Health divided into three categories as follows
Professionals

(1) Public Health Competencies

(a) To implement National Programmes on the ground with

ANMs, health workers, ASHAs and others ;

(b) To act in various programmes like,-

(i) revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP),

00 National Aids Control Programme,

Oil) National Diabetes Control Programme,

(iv) National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness

(NPPCD),

G) National Tobacco Control Programme,

<v i) National Leprosy Eradication Programme,

(vii) National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme,

(viii) National Cancer Registry Programme,

(ix) National Mental Health Programme,

<x ) Other programmes of the State or Central Governments as

may be assigned to them by the Government from time to

time ;

(c) To perform a supervisory role, supervising the work of ANMs,

Health workers and ASHAs ;

(d) To perform a supportive role where they act as a source of

knowledge providing knowledge augmentation for the health

workers, ANMs, ASHAs and others ;

(e) To perform integrative work with other national programmes and

development teams like,-

(i) Agriculture,

(ii) ICDS,


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258
THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015

### (iv) Nutrition,

 (v) Natural Calamities,

 (vi) Others as may be assigned by the Government from time to
 time ;

 (f) To perform an Advocacy role to ,-

 (i) act as a leader and change agent working closely with women's groups, PRIs, NGOs and others,

 (ii) promote behaviour change for health,

 (iii) general awareness and knowledge among people.

 (2) Clinical Competencies:-

 (a) To provide primary care for simple, uncomplicated common
 problems of adults and children on purely ambulatory basis at the Sub Centre clinic;

 (b) To refer all the other cases to physicians and provide facilities
 after first aid and pre-referral stabilization care, as required ;

 (c) To dispensing designated drugs prescribed by the physician ;

 (d) To conduct specified laboratory tests such as malarial parasite,
 HB test, filarial, TLC, Pap smear, etc. ;

 (e) To oversee and ensure community-based care of the patients who
 received out patient or in patient care facility and are now at home.

 (3) General Competencies:-
 Apart from the above mentioned public health and clinical competencies the Community Health Professionals should also possess,-

 (a) good communication skills, both written and verbal,

 (b) IT skills, i.e. knowing how to operate a computer and
 performing basic typing and computing activities on it,

 (c) Managerial Skills such as team building, guiding, resource
 management etc.,

 (d) Analytical and problem Solving skills.

Organizational The Organizational hierarchy, employer and compensation in respect of
hierarchy,
Employer and the Community Health Officers shall be as follows:-
Compensation
for the CHO/S

### (1) Organizational Hierarchy:-

 (a) The ANMs and male health workers shall report to Community
 Health Officers ;

 (b) The Community Health Officers shall report to the Medical
 Officer of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) of the area.

 (2) Employer:-

 (a) State Government/Central Government,

 (b) Non-governmental Organisations and Set-ups working in the
 field of remote and rural healthcare Set-up and delivery


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THE ASSAM GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 29, 2015 259

(3) Compensation,-

The Community Health Officers shall be paid a compensation as
decided by the Government or the National Health Mission (NHM)
from time to time.

Infrastructure . The Sub- Centres where Community Health Officers are deployed shall
for Community

require the following infrastructure

Health Officers

(a) Consultation room,

(b) Dispensary,

(c) Data room,

(d) Waiting area with toilet,

(e) Furnishings and services such as electricity, water, telephone,

computer, internet,

(f) Staff like compounder, store clerk, attendant: "•

Provided that the above infrastructure requirements shall be

augmented using the existing resources without any further need for
resources, unless otherwise decided by the Government in due course
of time.

**Admission** . The eligibility for admission and selection procedure for admission to the
**Guidelines for**
**the B.Sc.(CH)** B.Sc. (CH) Course shall be as follows :-
**Course**

(1) Eligibility for admission:-

(a) The candidates should have completed 10+2 academic

qualification, with science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and
Biology), as per the Council of the State of Assam;

(b) The Course is open to both female and male candidates ;

(c) The candidates should be within the. age limit of 17 years to 27

years on the 31st day of December of the year of admission in
case of General category candidate. The upper age limit shall be
relaxable by three years in case of Scheduled castes, Scheduled
Tribes, OBC and MOBC candidates:

Provided that the Government may revise the upper age

limit from time to time by notification to be published in the
Official Gazette.

(2) Procedure of Selection:-

(a) The selection of students shall be made on the basis of merit in

10+2 (Sc) examination marks in the subjects of Physics,

Chemistry and Biology.

(b) The admission Brochures containing admission forms and other

conditions shall be published by the Director from time to time.

Removal of 9 (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act,
difficulties the State Government may by order publish in the Official Gazette

make such provisions not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act,
as may appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the
difficulty.

(2) Every order made under this section shall be laid as soon as may be

after it is made before the State Legislature.


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