A hospital is a place where pregnant, sick, or injured people go for many kinds of medical attention and treatment. Large hospitals contain beds for patients who may need care for many days or longer. Hospitals have special departments for treating different types of illness, specialized equipment, and trained doctors and nurses. Hospitals are usually nonprofit institutions but some are operated for financial profit as private businesses, and some are military or public facilities funded by government programs.
In the past, people got their health care from family members and community healers. But in the middle ages, as medical knowledge increased, hospitals began to develop. Hospitals became centers of medical practice and were often run by religious orders. In the 16th century, following the dissolution of the monasteries in England by King Henry VIII, the concept of secular support for hospitals emerged.
Today, hospitals are essential to achieving universal health coverage. However, they continue to face challenges that include inadequate funding and weak management. Hospitals are the dominant site of health care delivery and contribute to a wide range of population health outcomes.
Most hospitals are large complexes with many special departments. They can be noisy and crowded. Patients can be stressed because they are away from home and loved ones. And many people dislike the fact that they are in a strange environment where they must follow strict rules, especially when they have to wear an identity bracelet at all times.