Under Alma-Ata, PHCs were planned at what rural and remote tribal area ratio?

Under Alma-Ata, PHCs were planned at what rural and remote tribal area ratio?

• A. PHCs planned at 1 per 50,000 rural; 1 per 10,000 urban
• B. PHCs planned at 1 per 30,000 rural and 1 per 20,000 in remote tribal areas
• C. 1 per 100,000 rural; 1 per 50,000 urban
• D. PHCs planned at 1 per 5,000 rural; 1 per 7,000 urban

Answer: (B)

Under the Alma-Ata approach, primary health care centers are placed where people can actually access essential services, with a density that reflects geography and need. The plan assigns about one PHC for every thirty thousand people in ordinary rural areas, but recognizes remote tribal regions require closer coverage due to terrain and access barriers, so a PHC would serve about twenty thousand people there. This denser distribution helps ensure key services—immunizations, maternal and child health, preventive care, and basic treatment—reach communities despite distance and difficult travel. The idea is to balance practical access with equity, giving more centers where isolation or terrain would otherwise limit care.

Under the Alma-Ata approach, primary health care centers are placed where people can actually access essential services, with a density that reflects geography and need. The plan assigns about one PHC for every thirty thousand people in ordinary rural areas, but recognizes remote tribal regions require closer coverage due to terrain and access barriers, so a PHC would serve about twenty thousand people there. This denser distribution helps ensure key services—immunizations, maternal and child health, preventive care, and basic treatment—reach communities despite distance and difficult travel. The idea is to balance practical access with equity, giving more centers where isolation or terrain would otherwise limit care.