A regional hospital or district hospital is a
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
that serves a geographic region larger area than a single local or rural area. Some countries also define specific services that required in regional hospitals. The word ''regional'' or ''district'' may also be part of the name of the hospital. Regional hospitals sometimes serve specific needs that cannot be adequately met by a local or
rural hospital, such as treating rare cancers, providing 24 hour emergency services, treating rare diseases such as
ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...
or rare conditions such as
obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula is a medical condition in which a hole develops in the birth canal as a result of childbirth. This can be between the vagina and rectum, ureter, or bladder. It can result in incontinence of urine or feces. Complications may ...
, or providing
elective orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...
.
Country variations
In the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
of the United Kingdom, a ''regional hospital'' is one that provides more complex services than a district hospital, such as transplantations or rare cancers.
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
defines a ''regional hospital'' or ''provincial hospital'' as a secondary level hospital providing 5 to 10 clinical specialties and with 200 to 800 hospital beds. It is different from a smaller primary-level hospital and larger tertiary-level hospital.
File:Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar.jpg, Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, Ireland.
File:Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.jpg, Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, Medicine Hat, Canada
File:Wellington Hospital.jpg, Wellington Hospital, regional hospital in Wellington, New Zealand
File:Bartlett.JPG, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, U.S.
File:โรงพยาบาลเจ้าพระยาอภัยภูเบศร (Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital) - panoramio.jpg, Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital. a regional hospital in Prachinburi, Thailand
In South Africa, a ''regional hospital'' must provide the following services on a 24-hour basis:
* health services in the fields of internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and general surgery;
* health services in at least one of the following specialties—
**orthopaedic surgery;
**psychiatry;
**anaesthetics;
**diagnostic radiology;
**trauma and emergency services;
*short-term ventilation in a critical care unit;
*services to a defined regional drainage population, limited to provincial boundaries and receives referrals from several district hospitals; and
*where practical, provide training for health care service providers.
In addition, a regional hospital receives outreach and support from tertiary hospitals has between 200 and 800 beds.
In Thailand, the classification of regional hospitals is different in that a ''regional hospital'' has higher treatment capabilities compared to a ''general hospital''. Most regional hospitals are located in major provincial cities, while general hospitals serve smaller provincial cities and towns.
See also
*
Health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
,
Primary care
Primary care is a model of health care that supports first-contact, accessible, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated person-focused care. It aims to optimise population health and reduce disparities across the groups by ensuring equitable ...
,
Secondary Care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...
,
Tertiary care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delive ...
,
Quaternary care
References
Hospitals
Types of hospitals
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