A primary health center covers a population in a tribal area of?

DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015

Explanation

According to Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), a Primary Health Center (PHC) in a tribal or hilly area is established to serve a population of 20,000.
This is a relaxed norm compared to the 30,000 population standard for PHCs located in plain areas.
The lower population-to-facility ratio in tribal areas is intentionally designed to improve healthcare accessibility for communities that are often geographically scattered and face challenges with terrain and transport.

Option A: This is the population norm for a Primary Health Center (PHC) in a plain (non-tribal, non-hilly) area.
Option B: This number is excessively large for a single PHC. A population of 300,000 is closer to the coverage of a District Hospital or multiple Community Health Centers.
Option D: This is the population norm for a Health Sub-Centre in a plain area. A Sub-Centre is the most peripheral health unit, operating under a PHC.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Population norms for Primary Health Centers (PHC) in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
For community health nurses and public health professionals, knowing these population norms is fundamental for planning, resource allocation, and evaluating the adequacy of health services in a given area.
This policy of relaxed norms for difficult areas is a key strategy to address health disparities and achieve equitable healthcare access across the country.
What if? If a nurse is posted to a PHC in a plain area, they would be part of a team responsible for a larger population (30,000), which would influence their workload, outreach planning, and resource management compared to a posting in a tribal area.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'Primary Health Center (PHC)' and 'tribal area'.
Recognize that this is a factual recall question based on the standards for public health infrastructure in India.
Recall or deduce that the government sets different population norms for healthcare facilities based on geography (plain vs. tribal/hilly areas).
Specifically, remember that norms are 'relaxed' (cover fewer people per facility) in difficult terrains to improve access.
Compare the given options to the known standard for a PHC in a tribal area (20,000) and eliminate the other options which correspond to different facilities or areas.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart B (pp 233-449 of 464) p. 12-14

E6 Nursing_Management_and_leadership_Johny_Kutty_JosephCbs_Publishers (pp 16-364 of 374) p. 16-18

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 125-127