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Hospitals
Overview Impact Resources

Hospitals complement and amplify the effectiveness of many other parts of the health system, providing continuous availability of services for
acute and complex conditions. They concentrate scarce resources within well-planned referral networks to respond efficiently to population
health needs. They are an essential element of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and will be critical to meeting the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG).

Hospitals are also an essential part of health system development. Currently, external pressures, health systems shortcomings and hospital
sector deficiencies are driving a new vision for hospitals in many parts of the world. In this vision, they have a key role to play to support other
healthcare providers and for community outreach and home-based services and are essential in a well-functioning referral network.

Hospitals matter to people and often mark central points in their lives. They also matter to health systems by being instrumental for care
coordination and integration. They often provide a setting for education of doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals and are a critical
base for clinical research.

Fact sheets +

Q&A +

Guidelines +

Databases +

WHO resolutions +

WHO teams +

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Our Work All →

Making health facilities safe in emergencies and disasters

Promoting baby-friendly hospitals

Strengthening quality midwifery for all mothers and newborns

Related activities

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Enhancing radiation safety in health care

Prioritizing medical devices

Strengthening medical imaging

Emergency medical teams

News All →

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Events

 21 May 2020 13:00 – 15:00 CET

Virtual Meeting: Achieving sustainable WASH in health care: addressing COVID-19 and safe, quality care for all

Feature Stories All →

17 February 2022
PAHO/WHO and UK-FCDO Handover four Smart Health Care facilities in Belize to the MoHW
Belize City, Belize, February 18, 2022 (PAHO) – As part of the ‘Smart’ Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean Project, funded by the United
Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Devel ...

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26 January 2022
PAHO & UKaid Handover Nine Smart Health Facilities to Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica, January 27, 2022 (PAHO) – UKaid and PAHO partnered to retrofit nine health centers island wide, making them safer, greener,
and more resilient to natural disaste ...

14 January 2021
Indonesia: WHO helps assess and improve COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response capacity
WHO, in collaboration with University of Hasanuddin and National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), recently supported the Ministry of
Health to conduct field assessments in 211 ...

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17 December 2020
Albania: Engaging with media to encourage accurate reporting on COVID-19
Representatives of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) and Albania’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MHSP) recently
briefed a group of more than 20 journalist ...

14 December 2020
Angola: WHO joining forces to support the fight against the COVID-19 infodemic
Misinformation and rumours are two major challenges in the fight against COVID-19 in Angola and beyond. WHO and Angola’s Ministry of Health
are working together on the COVID-19 All ...

10 December 2020
Guatemala: WHO supports the country’s first real-time telemedicine networks
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), with technical support from the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, recently
inaugurated the first real-time telemedi ...

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8 December 2020
Togo: WHO and the African Development Bank deliver equipment to boost pandemic response
WHO recently delivered a large batch of medical equipment to Togo’s Ministry of Health valued at more than 130 million CFA francs, including a fully
equipped medical ambulance, lab ...

7 December 2020
Turkey: Limiting the spread of COVID-19 among elderly in care homes
The WHO Country Office in Turkey provided technical expertise, in line with WHO guidance, to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services.

Publications All →

15 November 2022

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WHO recommendations for care of the preterm or low-birth-weight infant

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11 October 2022

Employment and working conditions of nurses in private hospitals in Delhi: an

exploratory study
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1 November 2021

Scoping review of interventions to maintain essential services for maternal,

newborn, child and adolescent...
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5 May 2021

The network for improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health:
evolution, implementation...
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Campaigns

Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020

Learn More

World Patient Safety Day 2020

Learn More

Multimedia

17 September 2019

I commit to patient safety

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27 May 2019

How to organize an emergency care system? The essential components

21 November 2017

WHO: Field hospitals in Iraq

Fact File All →

9 March 2019

Patient safety

Related links

Hospitals in the health systems

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Hospitals for people and community

Hospitals infrastructure and technology

Hospitals management and quality

Hospitals clinical Services

Hospitals assessment tools

Partners

International Federation for Integrated Care IFIC

International Hospital Federation

International Alliance for Patients’ Organization

International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services

Related Health Topics All →

Health systems

Emergency care

Health systems

Health system governance

Health systems

Infection prevention and control

Health systems

Patient safety

Health systems

Primary health care

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Other

Universal Health Coverage

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