| As suggested by WHO and UNICEF, "basic health service" is a network of coordinated peripheral and intermediate health units with a central administration; it performs a selected group of functions essential to the health of an area and assures the availability of competent professional and auxiliary personnel. In India, these functions were conceived in terms of comprehensive health care programmes in the rural areas (at health centre and subcentre levels)that would incorporate child health, control of communicable diseases, environmental sanitations, maintenance of records, health education, and medical care. Although a particular category of auxiliary health worker has been designated "basic health worker," almost all categories of staff at every level must participate in the function allotted to the basic health service. Another important consideration is the need to integrate mass campaigns into the service, particularly at the peripheral level. |