The Alma-Ata Declaration led to the creation of which health infrastructure in India, with PHCs planned at a ratio of 1 per 30,000 in rural areas and 1 per 20,000 in remote tribal areas?

• A. Created a network of primary health centers; PHCs planned at a ratio of 1 per 30,000 in rural areas and 1 per 20,000 in remote tribal areas.
• B. Built new large tertiary hospitals in urban areas.
• C. Privatized a majority of health services.
• D. Implemented universal health insurance for all.

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how the Alma-Ata Declaration shaped India’s health infrastructure by prioritizing primary health care and making basic health services widely accessible in rural areas. The Alma-Ata Declaration in 1978 framed health as a human right and called for universal, accessible, affordable care delivered through primary health care (PHC) that is community-based and intersectoral. In India, this led to building a network of primary health centers that would act as the first point of contact for people in rural areas and in remote tribal regions.

PHCs are designed to be the backbone of rural health delivery, offering essential curative and preventive services, maternal and child health, immunizations, basic drugs, and health education, while connecting to sub-centers and district hospitals for a full continuum of care. The planning ratio—one PHC for about 30,000 people in rural areas and one for about 20,000 in remote tribal areas—was set to ensure that even sparsely populated or hard-to-reach communities had access to basic health care without traveling long distances.

This emphasis on PHCs contrasts with choices that focus on large tertiary hospitals, privatization, or universal health insurance as the primary infrastructure result. Those options do not reflect the PHC-centered framework inspired by Alma-Ata.