Parcel ID work is currently underway for CHIs, and many CHIs are running into different problems while assigning them. Sometimes the same parcel ID gets assigned twice, sometimes one house shows two or three parcel IDs, and sometimes a house has no parcel ID at all. This article covers the common parcel ID problems and their straightforward solutions, so you can avoid mistakes while working in the field.
The purpose of assigning a parcel ID is to make sure the exact location of the house whose data was collected is also known. In the future, if the government or a relevant department wants to deliver medicines or other health services to a specific house, knowing its exact location will make reaching it much easier. In other words, a house's data and its exact location stay permanently linked to each other.
Go to the actual house that needs a parcel ID, and check Google Earth to see which parcel ID falls in front of that house. Open that house's registration in the CHI app and enter the same parcel ID. After assigning it, try to save and sync the data while you're still standing in front of that house — this also helps the house's latitude and longitude get recorded against the correct location.
⚠️ Important: Never assign a parcel ID while sitting at home. Doing so can cause location errors, because you won't actually be in front of the house at that time. Always go to the house that needs the parcel ID, assign it there, and save and sync the data from that same spot.
The most common problem in parcel ID work is duplication. A single parcel ID should only be used with one registration. Assigning the same parcel ID to two or three separate registrations creates a duplicate error. For example: if parcel ID 125 has already been assigned to one house's registration, that same 125 should not be assigned again to a different house's registration.
Case one: If 3 or 4 families live in one house and you've included all of them in a single registration (i.e., you entered the family count as 4), then that house gets just one parcel ID. This is completely correct.
Case two: If those same four families have been registered as four separate registrations, and you assign the same parcel ID to each one, that is not correct. For example, assigning 125 to all four registrations will likely cause a "Duplicate" error on the remaining ones. Remember: a parcel ID will only be accepted against one registration.
Sometimes a single house shows two or three parcel IDs (for example, 201, 202, 203). Assign any one of them to that house. Note down the other two separately as parcel IDs that existed on that house but weren't used, so they can be reported for deletion later.
Keeping a record of used parcel IDs is essential to avoid duplication. Carry a register in the field and keep writing down: head of household's name — parcel ID — latitude — longitude.
Change the color of pins you've already used: click the pin, an Edit option will appear below it, go there and change the color, then save. For example, marking used ones green means you'll instantly know at a glance which parcel IDs have already been used.
One reason could be that the parcel ID option was introduced two or three months earlier as well, and was later removed. At that time, some CHIs or Lady Health Workers may have temporarily assigned some parcel IDs while sitting at home. Those may still exist in the system, which is why a parcel ID can show as a duplicate even if the current CHI never used it themselves. Instead of worrying, check the relevant records and confirm with your supervisor if needed.
If a total of 200 parcel IDs were issued and one is missing for a house, a new parcel ID can be created in sequence: 201 for the first house, 202 for the next, 203 for the one after that. Be sure to note these newly created parcel IDs on your sheet and write in the comment: "This parcel ID was created by us."
Before leaving the house, open your work area on Google Earth and zoom in/out for a bit so the map gets temporarily cached. This isn't a complete fix, but it does help in the moment.
Divide your area block by block, take a photo of each block's map, and keep printouts with you as well.
Just carry your register, keep writing the information down, and prepare the sheet once you're back in the evening.
A parcel ID isn't just a number. It helps connect a house's data with its exact location.
Right house + right registration + right parcel ID + right location = better, more accurate data.
یہ معلومات عمومی رہنمائی کے لیے ہیں، عالمی ادارہ صحت (WHO) اور مستند صحتی ذرائع کی روشنی میں فیلڈ تجربے کے ساتھ لکھی گئی ہیں۔ یہ حتمی طبی تشخیص یا علاج کا متبادل نہیں — کسی بھی طبی فیصلے کے لیے ڈاکٹر یا متعلقہ ماہر سے رجوع کریں۔