Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC) acts as bridge between community and healthcare system, ensuring that health isn’t just delivered by government, but something owned by people.
What is the VHSNC?
VHSC is a local body formed under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Its primary goal is to provide a platform for villagers to take collective action on issues related to health, nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation.
Composition
It consists of about 15–20 members. It require 50% of members are women.
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Chairperson: Sarpanch or a Gram Panchayat member.
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Member Secretary: ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist).
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Key Members:
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Anganwadi Workers (AWW).
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Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM).
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Self-Help Group (SHG) leaders.
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Representatives from marginalized communities (SC/ST).
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School teachers or youth leaders.
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Responsibilities
Mandate covere everything from birth of a child to cleanliness of local well.
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Village Health Planning: Identify local health need and create a “Village Health Action Plan.”
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Monitoring Services: Committee keep an eye on quality of services at local Anganwadi and Health Sub-Centres.
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Managing Untied Funds: Each VHSC receives an annual “Untied Fund” (typically around ₹10,000). This money is used for immediate, small-scale needs like repairing a handpump, buying bleaching powder, or providing emergency transport for a pregnant woman.
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Sanitation & Hygiene: It includes making village “Open Defecation Free” (ODF) and managing solid and liquid waste.
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Nutrition Awareness – Committee work for pregnant mother and children for their supplementary nutrition.
- Awareness Campaigns: Organize Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Days (VHSND) to promote immunization and maternal health.
Challenges
VHSNCs struggle with irregular meetings, a lack of training for members, or delays in fund utilization.
To empower these committees, there must be a continuous focus on capacity building—training members not just on health technicalities, but on how to manage accounts and lead community discussions. When a village knows its rights and has resources to act, the health of entire nation improves.