The committee which started the multipurpose health worker's training programme was

RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2022

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2022

Explanation

The Kartar Singh Committee, formed in 1972 and reporting in 1973, was officially named the 'Committee on Multipurpose Workers under Health and Family Planning'.
Its primary recommendation was to integrate several single-purpose health workers (like malaria workers, vaccinators) into a unified cadre of Multipurpose Health Workers (MPHWs).
It proposed having one male (MHW) and one female (FHW, formerly ANM) health worker at each sub-centre to deliver a package of preventive, promotive, and basic curative services.
This move was designed to make healthcare delivery more efficient and comprehensive at the grassroots level.

Option A: The Chadah Committee focused on a vertical program for malaria eradication, assigning family planning duties as an additional task to a 'basic health worker', but it did not create a truly integrated, multipurpose worker.
Option C: The Bhore Committee is much earlier (1946) and is famous for its comprehensive report that laid the blueprint for India's Primary Health Centre (PHC) system. It did not propose the MPHW concept.
Option D: The Mukerji Committee's recommendation was the opposite of the MPHW concept. It suggested separating staff for family planning from the general health services (which included malaria work) to improve the performance of the family planning program.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Health Committees in India and their recommendations as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding the evolution of health committees helps community health nurses and officers comprehend the structure and rationale behind the current rural healthcare delivery system in India.
The MPHW concept introduced by the Kartar Singh Committee is the foundation of the roles performed by today's ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) and Male Health Workers at the sub-centre level.
These workers are the first point of contact for the community, providing essential services like immunization, maternal and child health, family planning, and disease surveillance.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key phrase in the question: 'multipurpose health worker'. This is the central concept being tested.
This is a factual recall question related to the history of public health administration in India.
Systematically review your knowledge of the major health committees and their single most important contribution.
Associate 'Bhore Committee' with the 'PHC concept'.
Associate 'Chadah Committee' with 'Basic Health Worker for Malaria'.
Associate 'Mukerji Committee' with 'Delinking of programs'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QYMdAToEUqTXsC90RFt0Y0

E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health NursingShyamala D part 1 (pp 26-389 of 389) pp. 70-72, 71-73, 49-51