Which committee laid down the blueprint for a three-tier system to deliver healthcare at centres in India before the first national health policy?

1. A

   The Bhore Committee

2. B

   The Mudaliar Committee

3. C

   The Chadha Committee

4. D

   The Bajaj Committee

Appeared in: MP NHM CHO-2024 (Shift-1)

Explanation

• The Bhore Committee, also known as the Health Survey and Development Committee, submitted its report in 1946.
• It laid the foundational blueprint for India's public health system before the first National Health Policy.
• Its most significant recommendation was the creation of a three-tier healthcare structure, starting with Primary Health Centres (PHCs) at the village level.
• The committee also stressed the importance of integrating preventive and curative medicine to improve rural health.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option B: The Mudaliar Committee's focus was on evaluating the progress since the Bhore Committee and strengthening existing health infrastructure, not creating a new three-tier system.
• Option C: The Chadha Committee was specifically tasked with the maintenance phase of the National Malaria Eradication Programme and the integration of family planning services.
• Option D: The Bajaj Committee was formed much later (1986) and dealt with health manpower planning, production, and management, including medical education policies.

Related Visual

• Visual 1: Timeline Graphic: A visual timeline showing the key health committees in India (Bhore, Mudaliar, Chadha, Kartar Singh, Shrivastav, Bajaj) and their main recommendations. This helps in memorizing the chronological development of health planning.
• Visual 2: Infographic: A diagram illustrating the three-tier healthcare system as proposed by the Bhore Committee, showing the flow from Primary Health Centres to Secondary Health Centres and District Hospitals.

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain History of Public Health Committees in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
• Understanding the Bhore Committee's recommendations is crucial for community health nurses as its proposed three-tier system (PHC, CHC, District Hospital) remains the backbone of public healthcare delivery in rural India today.
• Nurses working in PHCs are a direct legacy of the Bhore Committee's vision to provide integrated preventive and curative care at the grassroots level.
• What if the Bhore Committee had not recommended a three-tier system? India's rural health infrastructure might have developed in a more fragmented, urban-centric way, leaving rural populations with even less access to basic healthcare.

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core concept of the question, which is the 'three-tier system' of healthcare in India.
• This is a factual recall question related to the history of public health planning in India.
• Associate the keyword 'three-tier system' with the earliest and most foundational health committee.
• Recall or deduce that the Bhore Committee (1946) was the first major committee post-independence that provided a comprehensive health plan.
• Eliminate other committees by remembering their specific, narrower focuses (e.g., Mudaliar for review, Chadha for malaria, Bajaj for manpower).

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: History of Public Health Committees in India
• Stem keywords: committee, blueprint, three-tier system, healthcare, India
• Lead-in keywords: Which

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