Pillar: Connectivity
A Primary Health Centre (PHC) is the first rural health institution staffed by a Medical Officer. The Indian Public Health Standards 2022 set its population norm at 30,000 in the plains and 20,000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. A Community Health Centre (CHC) is the block-level referral hospital above the PHC, with a norm of 1,20,000 in the plains and 80,000 in hilly and tribal areas; it has 30 beds and four specialists (surgeon, physician, obstetrician-gynaecologist, paediatrician). Between them, PHCs and CHCs form the backbone of the public health system in rural India. For a young person, these are where maternal care, immunisations, tuberculosis and non-communicable disease treatment, snakebite and road-accident trauma care, and referral to district hospitals actually happen. Operational standards are set by the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS, revised 2022) under the National Health Mission.
If someone in your family needs medical care and cannot afford a private clinic, the PHC and CHC are what the public system provides. Knowing whether they actually work — whether the doctor is present, whether medicines are in stock, whether the ambulance comes — is the difference between a health crisis that is managed and one that is not.
- Out-patient department for general curative care, at least during notified hours - Round-the-clock emergency care at CHC; 24×7 delivery and basic emergency obstetric care at designated PHCs - Antenatal, natal, and postnatal care including institutional deliveries and referral for complicated cases - Universal Immunisation Programme for children; routine Mission Indradhanush catch-up rounds - National disease control programmes: TB (NTEP), malaria, leprosy, vector-borne, NCDs, mental health screening - Laboratory diagnostics, blood tests, urine, sputum microscopy; some with digital X-ray at CHC - Free Diagnostics Service Initiative (FDSI): NHM operational guidelines issued in July 2015 to cut out-of-pocket spending on tests. Standard test menus by facility level: 63 free tests at AAM-PHC (the upgraded PHC tier), 97 at CHC, 111 at Sub-District Hospitals, 134 at District Hospitals - Free Drugs Service Initiative: NHM operational guidelines issued in July 2015 to provide essential medicines free of cost at all public health facilities including PHC and CHC. State-specific Essential Drug Lists are notified under the scheme - AAM package (where upgraded): chronic-disease screening, NCD follow-up, oral and mental health - Referral and transport — 102 / 108 ambulance linkage
Portal: nhm.gov.in and state health department dashboards; Ayushman Bharat AAM locator on ab-hwc.nhp.gov.in Also: Every block headquarters has a CHC; ask ASHA / ANM / Anganwadi worker for nearest PHC. Facility locations are also on the district NIC website.
For what this looks like in a particular district, start from the district courses or the English reference guide (Hindi).