A general hospital is a medical facility that is licensed and equipped to provide short-term, inpatient care for acute episodes of illness and injury. It typically consists of beds for patients, a doctor’s office, a pharmacy, and some laboratories and rehabilitation departments (e.g., physiotherapy and occupational therapy).
Depending on the level of care offered, a general hospital can be referred to as a community, district or regional hospital. General hospitals can also be categorized as academic or not-for-profit. They usually have an organized medical staff with responsibility for patient care, a management structure to control expenditures and the administrative function, and the capability to perform basic diagnostic investigations.
General Hospital (known as GH in the United States) is an American daytime soap opera that began airing on April 1, 1963, and has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-running scripted television drama series currently in production. It is the third longest-running soap opera in North America, trailing only The Archers and Coronation Street, and holds the record as the second longest-running primetime soap in the world, with over 30 million viewers watching each weekday.
GH has been no stranger to controversy. Among the most notable was the introduction of Augusta McLeod in 1973, who used her ill-gotten gain to manipulate Peter and Diana Quartermaine’s relationship, as well as the storyline that followed when Jessie Brewer shot Phil, then was accused of his murder. General Hospital also had a long-running romance between Stone Cates and Robin Scorpio, which culminated in the death of both characters in 1995.
The hospital also had to compete with other daytime programs, including NBC’s To Tell the Truth and CBS’s The Price Is Right, which eventually hurt its ratings. By the 1980s, the show was close to cancellation and was moved to a later time slot. However, it was not canceled, and continued to air until the station that broadcast it in Vermont and Plattsburgh dropped it from the schedule.
The network decided to move General Hospital back to its earlier time slot and keep it going in hopes that it would attract new viewers who were younger than those who were tuning into a show called “General Hospital”. As a result, the show relaunched on October 30, 1967, and moved to color. It was not re-canceled until 1989, and from that point on, it has been a hit. It continues to have a large following in the United States, and it is currently ranked as the third most-watched daytime show on TV. It is also a favorite among celebrities. The show has won a number of awards, and many of the actors have gone on to become successful film and television stars. GH has also been featured in various popular films and video games. In addition, the show is available on DVD.