AIIMS Nagpur NO - 2018
Community Health Nursing
Easy

One basic health worker (multipurpose worker) for 10000 populations was recommended by?

Appeared in: AIIMS Nagpur NO - 2018

Explanation

  • The Chadha Committee was formed in 1963 to plan for the maintenance phase of the National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP).
  • Its key recommendation was to appoint one Basic Health Worker (BHW) for every 10,000 people.
  • This BHW was intended to be a 'multipurpose worker' responsible for malaria vigilance, family planning activities, and the collection of vital statistics.
  • This was the first formal introduction of the multipurpose worker concept at a specific population ratio.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: The Mukherjee Committee (1965) was formed to review the Chadha Committee's recommendations. It found that the multipurpose workers were overburdened and recommended delinking malaria activities from family planning, proposing separate staff for the latter.
  • Option C: The Bhore Committee (1946) laid the foundation for India's primary healthcare system. Its main recommendation was the creation of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to provide integrated health services, with a short-term goal of one PHC per 40,000 population.
  • Option D: The Mudaliar Committee (1962), also known as the Health Survey and Planning Committee, reviewed the progress since the Bhore Committee. It recommended strengthening the existing PHCs rather than rapid expansion and also endorsed the 1 PHC per 40,000 population norm.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
  • Visual 1: Timeline - A timeline showing the chronological order of major Indian health committees (Bhore, Mudaliar, Chadha, Mukherjee, Kartar Singh) and their key recommendations to help visualize the evolution of public health policy.
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Recommendations of Health Committees in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Understanding the recommendations of these committees is crucial for community health nurses as they form the basis of India's public health infrastructure and define the roles and responsibilities of grassroots health workers.
  • The concept of the multipurpose health worker (MPW), though modified over time, is a cornerstone of rural healthcare delivery, with workers like ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) and MPHW(M) providing a range of services.
  • What if? If the Chadha committee had recommended a ratio of 1 worker per 50,000 population, the workload would have been impossible, leading to the immediate failure of both malaria surveillance and family planning programs, likely prompting a much faster and more drastic revision of the policy.
How to Approach the Question
  • This is a factual recall question from Community Health Nursing.
  • First, identify the key data points in the question: 'one basic health worker' and '10000 population'.
  • Next, systematically recall the main recommendations of the major health committees listed in the options.
  • Associate the Bhore and Mudaliar committees with the establishment and strengthening of PHCs at a 1:40,000 ratio.
  • Recall that the Chadha committee specifically dealt with the malaria program and introduced the 1 BHW per 10,000 population concept.
  • Remember that the Mukherjee committee was a response to the Chadha committee, recommending a change in the multipurpose worker's duties, not establishing the role itself. This process of elimination confirms the Chadha committee as the correct answer.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Recommendations of Health Committees in India
  • Stem keywords: basic health worker, multipurpose worker, 10000 population
  • Lead-in keywords: recommended by

Question ID

Q7kiStZPUsNrrHy8BTrHct

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