Which of the following are established covering a population of 1,20,000?

Appeared in: WCL Staff Nurse - 2022

Explanation

A Community Health Centre (CHC) is the correct facility established for a population of 1,20,000 in plain areas.
CHCs form the secondary level of healthcare in rural areas, serving as a referral point for multiple Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
Each CHC is designed to provide specialized services, bridging the gap between primary care and district-level hospitals.

Option A: A Primary Health Centre (PHC) is established to serve a much smaller population.
Option B: A Sub-centre is the most peripheral health unit, serving the smallest population group in the hierarchy.
Option C: An Anganwadi Centre is not primarily a health centre in the same hierarchy as SC, PHC, and CHC. It is part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Population norms for public health infrastructure in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding the population norms is essential for community health nurses to plan and implement health programs, manage resources, and conduct epidemiological surveillance effectively.
This hierarchical structure defines the referral pathway. A nurse at a PHC must know when to refer a patient to a CHC for specialist care, ensuring timely and appropriate treatment.
What if? If a nurse is posted in a tribal area, the population norms change. A CHC in a tribal area covers 80,000 people, not 1,20,000. This knowledge is critical for resource allocation and service planning in different geographical contexts.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key information in the question stem, which is the population number: '1,20,000'.
The question asks to match this population number with the correct public health facility from the given options.
This is a factual recall question based on the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
Recall the population norms for each level of the rural health system: Sub-centre, Primary Health Centre (PHC), and Community Health Centre (CHC).
Compare the given population (1,20,000) with the standard norms for each facility.
Select the option that matches the specified population coverage for a plain area.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QuVv4QkSTz_SKpg30imRNw

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

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

Practise the full WCL Staff Nurse - 2022

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