WHO definition of Hospital 

A Hospital is an integral part of a Social and Medical organization, the function of which is to provide for the population complete health care, both curative and preventive, and whose outpatient services reach out to the family and its home environment; the hospital is also a centre for the training of health workers and biosocial research.

The hospital is a unique institution of man.

A WHO Expert Committee in 1963 proposed the following working definition of a hospital.

“A hospital is a residential establishment which provides short-term and long term medical care consisting of observational, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services for persons suffering or suspected to be suffering from a disease or injury and for parturient. It may or may not also provide services for ambulatory patients on an outpatient basis”. 

Meaning of a Hospital

According to the World Health organization, Health is a “State of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or deformity”. One of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, etc. is the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. But, owing to a variety of factors like lack of health consciousness, low per capita income, lack of adequate education, on availability of proper sanitary condition and safe drinking water, unhealthy social taboos etc., the health status of the average Indian remains dissatisfactory. It has been the endeavor of successive Government in India to improve the situation. This is especially so after the Independence. The National Health Policy which was approved by the Parliament and announced by the Government in 1983 marked a beginning to the Quest for equity in health expressed as WHO’s goal of “Health For All” by the year 2000 A.D. To achieve this goal massive inputs with restructuring of the organization setup and management has been achieved incurring huge amounts of revenue expenditure as well as capital expenditure financed from various sources- Central Government, State Government and externally aided projects. In views of this currently there have been many emphases on analytical study of hospital management pattern of health care expenditure and determination of costs of service.

Hospital first came into existence prior to 1000 B.C. 

During the middle ages the hospital could serve other functions, such as almshouse for the poor, or hostel for pilgrims The name comes from Latin hopes (host), which is also the root for the English words hotel, hostel and hospitality. The modern word hospital derives from the French word hostel, which featured a silent s, which was eventually removed from the word; French for hospital is hospital.

In the present time, a hospital is an institution for health care, often but not always provides large term patient stays. “The hospital is an integral part of the social and medical organization, the function of which is to provide for the population complete health care, both curative and preventive, and whose outpatient services reach out to the family and its home environment. The hospital is also a centre for training of health workers and for biosocial research”.

The modern concept of the hospital visualizes it, as one of a comprehensive system of preventive and curative medicine and as an institution devoted not only to inpatient treatment, but also to ambulatory and domiciliary use.

From above definition, it can be said that the hospital is a complex organization and an institute which provides health to peoples through complicated but specialized scientific equipment and a team of trained staff educated in the problems of modern medical science. They are all co-ordinate together for the common goal of restoring and maintaining a good health of the people who go there for relief from the pain, suffering and disease.

Thus, the hospital is a specialized body where the patient care is the focal point and about which all activities of the hospital revolve. The physician who examines and takes care of the patient is in the principal position and special facilities and trained personnel are provided to him to make his work easy and efficient, trained personnel includes technical staff of nurses, dieticians and pharmacists. 

From the organizational and administrative point of view, a hospital is virtually a city within a city. Within its four walls, it has an operation theatre, a hospital which is in the shape of the patients rooms, a dormitory for student nurses, residents and interns, a school for training of nurses, technicians, dietician, laboratories, a pharmacy, food vending operations, laundry and linen service, delivery service, a post office, massive internal and external communication system, blood bank, accounting and credit services, a public relation department, a motor service, and security patrols.In short the hospital is a healthcare Organization. 

Meaning of Hospital Management: 

Hospital Management can have different meanings 

1. Management as a process: 

Often it is said that it is a professionally managed hospital; it is well managed hospital, meaning thereby the management is described as an activity, type of work. Management applies certain principles, techniques and activities which are performed by certain management functions. What the hospital Management does is Management. 

2. Hospital Management is a subject: 

A subject, a discipline taught in universities, colleges or institutes. It is an accumulated body of knowledge that can be learned, at some places the broad specialty is Health Management including Hospital Management. Various degrees, diplomas, certificate courses are run by the institution/universities. 

3. Hospital management as people: 

The Management of this hospital is very insensitive, the hospital management of this hospital is not responsive to society are the terms often used. While using these terms, we are referring to body of people responsible for management, the board of directors, director, medical superintendent and his team. 

4. Hospital management as career: 

News published in the national daily says that hospital management will be among top ten careers in the next decade. Such statements imply that hospital management is a career. 

The term management has been defined by different experts as below :

According to Hawalskantz,

“Management is the art of getting things done through and with the people in formally organized groups.”

According to George Terry,

“Management is the process undertaken by one or more person to coordinate the activities of other persons to achieve results not attainable by any one person acting alone.”

According to McFarland,

“Management is a distinct process consisting of activates of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling, performed to determine and accomplish stated objectives with the use of human beings and other resources.