Population covered by Primary Health Centre in hilly region is

Appeared in: UPPSC 2017

Explanation

A Primary Health Centre (PHC) in a hilly, tribal, or difficult area is designed to serve a population of 20,000.
This norm is established by the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) to ensure adequate healthcare access in geographically challenging regions where the population is more dispersed.
The lower population number compared to plain areas allows for more focused care and better reach within the community.

Option B: This value is not a standard population norm for any tier of the rural health infrastructure in India.
Option C: This is the population norm for a Primary Health Centre, but specifically for one located in a plain area, not a hilly region.
Option D: This value does not correspond to the standard for a single PHC. It might be confused with the coverage of two PHCs in a hilly area (2 x 20,000), but it is not a standard single-unit norm.

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 Centres in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding these population norms is crucial for community health nurses and public health officials for effective planning, resource allocation, and implementation of health programs.
These standards ensure equitable distribution of healthcare services, especially in remote and underserved areas, which is a core principle of public health.
What if? If the question asked for the population covered by a Community Health Centre (CHC) in a hilly area, the correct answer would be 80,000.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on national health policy.
First, identify the key terms in the question: 'Primary Health Centre' and 'hilly region'.
Recall the established population norms for the three-tier rural health system in India.
Differentiate between the norms for plain areas and hilly/tribal/difficult areas.
Select the value that corresponds specifically to a PHC in a hilly region.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Q9WWhC5akbdxgxdHFZSgyb

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

E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health NursingShyamala D part 1 (pp 26-389 of 389) p. 80-82

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

Practise the full UPPSC 2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.