The Full Form of UPHC is‍ Urban Primary Health Center.

Recognizing the seriousness of problem, national urban Health Mission (nuHM) was launched as a separate mission in years 2013 with objective of improving health status of the urban poor particularly slum dwellers and other marginalised sections. National Quality Assurance standards for District Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHC) and Primary Health Centres (24×7) have been released and are being implemented across the country. Urban Primary Health Centres (uPHC)are different from conventional rural PHCs in term of size, functions, focus on ambulatory care, limited staff and infrastructure. U-PHC is also expected to deliver certain job-functions of subcentre through its outreach services. In view of these considerations, it is, therefore, appropriate that a separate list of standards are developed.

The concept of primary health centers is foundational to the Indian health system. The PHC was introduced by the Bhore Committee in 1946 as the basic unit to provide as close to the people as
possible, an integrated curative and preventive health care to the rural population with emphasis on preventive and promotive aspects of health care. While so far, the PHC has been limited to the ruraldomain, urban areas have had many versions of the PHC, varying from state to state under various projects, providing a range of services such as urban health posts, urban health and family welfare centers, urban health centers etc. However, such services have been sporadic unsystematic in their population coverage, service package and locations.

With the introduction of the NUHM, the health needs of the urban population are being systematically and nationally addressed for the first time. The Urban Primary Health Center, on the
lines of a rural PHC is envisaged as the nodal point for delivery of health care services under the NUHM.While the basic concept remains the same, the services and services delivery mechanism of
UPHCs is modified to address the unique health and livelihood challenges faced by the urban population. The urban areas today are increasingly becoming congested, especially slum and slumlike habitations, and with poor or no proper sanitation, water supply, garbage disposal mechanism, resurgence in urban infectious diseases.The specific details regarding UPHCs have been detailed in
this document