Functions and structure of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) MCQs With Answer

The Primary Health Centre (PHC) is the cornerstone of primary healthcare delivery in India, providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services to the community. This introduction covers PHC structure, staffing norms, essential drug supply, cold chain for immunization, surveillance, referral systems, health education, national health programs and pharmacy-related functions relevant to B. Pharm students. Understanding PHC operations—inventory management, rational use of medicines, record keeping, pharmacovigilance and coordination with community health workers—prepares pharmacy graduates for public health roles and supply-chain responsibilities. Emphasis on infrastructure, essential medicines list and patient counseling links pharmacy practice to primary care outcomes. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the typical rural population coverage for one Primary Health Centre (PHC) as per Indian public health norms?

• 5,000–10,000 people
• 30,000 people
• 100,000 people
• 250,000 people

Correct Answer: 30,000 people

Q2. Which of the following is a primary curative function of a PHC?

• Mass media health promotion
• Referral of complicated cases only
• Treatment of common illnesses and minor injuries
• National policy making

Correct Answer: Treatment of common illnesses and minor injuries

Q3. Who is primarily responsible for dispensing medicines and maintaining drug records at a PHC?

• Medical Officer
• Pharmacist or Drug Store Keeper
• Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)
• Lab Technician

Correct Answer: Pharmacist or Drug Store Keeper

Q4. Which service is a key preventive activity conducted at PHCs?

• Open heart surgery
• Mass immunization under the Universal Immunization Programme
• Laparoscopic procedures
• High-end radiotherapy

Correct Answer: Mass immunization under the Universal Immunization Programme

Q5. Which of the following best describes the essential drug concept at PHCs?

• Providing all available drugs from the market
• Stocking a limited list of safe, effective, and cost‑effective medicines to meet primary care needs
• Storing only branded medicines
• Importing drugs for each patient individually

Correct Answer: Stocking a limited list of safe, effective, and cost‑effective medicines to meet primary care needs

Q6. Cold chain maintenance at PHCs is most critical for which of the following?

• Oral rehydration salts
• Antibiotic tablets
• Vaccines for immunization
• Topical ointments

Correct Answer: Vaccines for immunization

Q7. Which record is essential for rational drug supply and auditing at a PHC?

• Laboratory specimen log only
• Drug inventory and issue register
• Visitor sign-in sheet
• Construction maintenance record

Correct Answer: Drug inventory and issue register

Q8. Which national program is commonly implemented through PHCs for tuberculosis control?

• National Tobacco Control Programme
• National TB Elimination Program (NTEP)
• National AIDS Control Programme
• National Mental Health Programme

Correct Answer: National TB Elimination Program (NTEP)

Q9. What is the role of a PHC in pharmacovigilance?

• Ignoring adverse events
• Reporting adverse drug reactions and monitoring safety signals from the community
• Manufacturing vaccines
• Setting national drug prices

Correct Answer: Reporting adverse drug reactions and monitoring safety signals from the community

Q10. Which staff member at PHC usually provides maternal and child health field visits and immunization outreach?

• Radiographer
• Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) or Health Worker
• Pharmacist only
• Surgeon

Correct Answer: Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) or Health Worker

Q11. For safe drug storage at a PHC pharmacy, which condition is most important?

• Exposure to direct sunlight to warm medicines
• Controlled temperature, humidity and secure shelving
• Mixing expired and new stock to balance shelves
• Storing all medications in patient waiting area

Correct Answer: Controlled temperature, humidity and secure shelving

Q12. A common laboratory service available at many PHCs is:

• Advanced molecular diagnostics
• Basic tests like hemoglobin estimation, blood smear and urine testing
• Organ transplant compatibility testing
• Cardiac catheterization

Correct Answer: Basic tests like hemoglobin estimation, blood smear and urine testing

Q13. Which of the following is a key indicator tracked by PHCs for maternal health?

• Number of cosmetic surgeries
• Antenatal care coverage and institutional delivery rates
• Number of imported drugs
• Number of patent filings

Correct Answer: Antenatal care coverage and institutional delivery rates

Q14. The referral system from PHC typically aims to:

• Refer all patients regardless of condition
• Manage primary conditions locally and refer complicated cases to higher centres
• Keep patients at PHC indefinitely
• Avoid communicating with Community Health Centres

Correct Answer: Manage primary conditions locally and refer complicated cases to higher centres

Q15. Which inventory method helps prevent stockouts at PHC drug stores?

• Never checking stock levels
• Periodic review, minimum‑maximum levels and buffer stock maintenance
• Ordering once a year for all medicines
• Disposing of half the stock randomly

Correct Answer: Periodic review, minimum‑maximum levels and buffer stock maintenance

Q16. Which of the following is part of health promotion activities carried out by PHCs?

• Prescription of experimental drugs without consent
• Community meetings, counseling on sanitation, nutrition and lifestyle
• Performing complex elective surgeries
• Issuing production licenses for pharmaceuticals

Correct Answer: Community meetings, counseling on sanitation, nutrition and lifestyle

Q17. The role of B. Pharm graduates in PHC settings may include:

• Designing national budgets only
• Managing drug stores, ensuring rational use, patient counseling and pharmacovigilance
• Performing major surgical procedures
• Issuing medical degrees

Correct Answer: Managing drug stores, ensuring rational use, patient counseling and pharmacovigilance

Q18. What is an important documentation requirement when dispensing medicines at a PHC?

• Keeping no records to maintain privacy
• Maintaining prescription, issue vouchers and stock ledgers
• Only verbal advice without written notes
• Recording patient data in personal notebooks only

Correct Answer: Maintaining prescription, issue vouchers and stock ledgers

Q19. Which emergency service is usually arranged by PHCs for obstetric complications?

• Immediate organ transplant on site
• Referral transport to higher facility with communication and stabilization
• Long‑term inpatient chemotherapy
• Decontamination of chemical plants

Correct Answer: Referral transport to higher facility with communication and stabilization

Q20. Integrating national health programs at PHC level improves:

• Fragmentation of services and patient confusion
• Coordination, resource use efficiency and outreach for disease control
• Only administrative paperwork with no health impact
• Export of pharmaceutical products

Correct Answer: Coordination, resource use efficiency and outreach for disease control

Q21. Which waste management practice is essential in PHC pharmacies?

• Mixing pharmaceutical waste with food waste
• Segregation of expired/unused medicines and safe disposal per guidelines
• Flushing all unused medicines into the sewer
• Burning all records with medicines

Correct Answer: Segregation of expired/unused medicines and safe disposal per guidelines

Q22. Which documentation supports vaccine handling at PHC level?

• Vaccine cold chain temperature log and stock register
• Only verbal confirmation of storage
• Photographs of empty refrigerators
• No documentation is necessary

Correct Answer: Vaccine cold chain temperature log and stock register

Q23. In the context of rational drug use at PHCs, which practice is recommended?

• Polypharmacy and unnecessary antibiotics for viral infections
• Use of Standard Treatment Guidelines and generic medicines when appropriate
• Prescribing highest-cost branded medicines only
• Avoiding treatment protocols

Correct Answer: Use of Standard Treatment Guidelines and generic medicines when appropriate

Q24. Which health worker links the community and PHC for home-based services under national programs?

• Community Health Officer only
• Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)
• Airport health officer
• National level bureaucrat

Correct Answer: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA)

Q25. Which essential public health function is performed by PHCs during outbreaks?

• Declaring national holidays
• Disease surveillance, case finding, reporting and initiating control measures
• Solely conducting private clinics
• Exporting medical supplies abroad

Correct Answer: Disease surveillance, case finding, reporting and initiating control measures

Q26. Which of the following is a pharmacy-specific responsibility in PHCs related to controlled substances?

• Selling narcotics without record
• Maintaining separate registers and adhering to legal dispensing norms
• Avoiding storage of any controlled drugs forever
• Allowing community members to self-prescribe narcotics

Correct Answer: Maintaining separate registers and adhering to legal dispensing norms

Q27. The PHC outpatient department typically provides which of the following services?

• Cosmetic dermatology for urban elites only
• Primary consultations, simple treatments, prescriptions, and referral advice
• Organ transplantation
• High-end genetic counseling labs

Correct Answer: Primary consultations, simple treatments, prescriptions, and referral advice

Q28. Which approach helps ensure rational antimicrobial use at PHCs?

• Empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics for all fevers
• Following treatment guidelines, diagnostic testing where feasible and antibiotic stewardship
• Restricting antibiotics only to tertiary hospitals
• Encouraging self-medication with leftover antibiotics

Correct Answer: Following treatment guidelines, diagnostic testing where feasible and antibiotic stewardship

Q29. Which infrastructure element is essential for maintaining confidentiality and quality pharmacy services at a PHC?

• Open storage on patient benches
• Secure, lockable drug store with a separate dispensing counter and counseling area
• Mobile carts with mixed supplies and records
• Unorganized stock in patient waiting room

Correct Answer: Secure, lockable drug store with a separate dispensing counter and counseling area

Q30. Which monitoring activity helps PHC pharmacists improve service delivery over time?

• Ignoring feedback and records
• Periodic audit of prescriptions, stock usage analysis and patient counseling outcomes
• Only focusing on expanding physical space
• Randomly discarding patient registers

Correct Answer: Periodic audit of prescriptions, stock usage analysis and patient counseling outcomes

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