A hospital is a healthcare institution that provides patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. It is built, staffed, and equipped for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, both medical and surgical, of the sick and the injured, and for their housing during this process. Hospitals may have various departments such as emergency, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services, and they can be classified by the interventions they provide, the roles they play in the health system, and the health and educational services they offer to the communities in and around them.
Hospitals are essential in a well-functioning referral network and are reservoirs of critical resources and knowledge. They are designed to reflect the needs and values of the communities in and around them, while also being resilient and able to maintain and scale up services in emergency situations. Effective hospitals are designed for their users, with attention to the needs of special populations, such as children and the elderly.
In summary, hospitals play a crucial role in providing continuous availability of services for acute and complex conditions, and they are an essential part of health system development, complementing and amplifying the effectiveness of many other parts of the health system.
