The local hospital: functions, advantages and difficulties.

The local hospital, where patients can be investigated and treated in their own milieu, affords unique opportunities for managing chronic diseases, easing social pressures and educating patients. Though local country hospitals appear to be a vital social institution, preferred by both patients and staff, they are in danger of disappearing. This is primarily due to shortage of suitable staff, both medical and nursing, reinforced by the accent on highly specialized treatment, which is the present growing trend in medicine. This unfortunate trend may result in irreparable damage to overall health care delivery, which must integrate all factors - physical, psychological and social.