Healers' Association of Hogwarts 24.1 Safety of St Mungos

[pretty-panther.livejournal.com]

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Activity Name: Safety of St Mungos
Deadline: 31st October 11.59pm UTC
Points:Long debate: Participation 10pts, Additional comment: 2pts.
Details:Debate on whether the St Mungos system of only having one magical hospital for the nation is suitable or dangerous considering it could be attacked. On one hand, it keeps things central and the type of healer needed is always on hand but on the other if it was taken over, there is no other hospital ect. Debate it out. :)


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Comments

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

I'd never really thought about it before, but now you mention it, I think it's rather silly to just have one hospital for the whole of the UK! I mean, it's not as if a Healer working at St Mungo's that was required across the other side of the country couldn't get there within seconds, is it? If Healer Day was the best Potions doctor in the wizarding world, and was at St Mungo's when he was needed at another hospital, he could get there by Apparition or Floo straight away. Unlike the Muggle world, they're not confined to their hospitals, so it makes sense to have more than one.

There's the obvious danger issue of if something ever happened to it (attack or burning down or even a corruption within the staff) as well, and I know the wizarding population isn't that big, but what if it ever got full? Like, after a battle or something? Or what if, because there's only one hospital, there aren't enough Healers?

What do we want? MORE HOSPITALS! When do we want them? NOW!

Fairy//Hufflepuff

[bergeronprocess.livejournal.com]

Ooh, a great point about healers being able to go to other locations quickly. Healers and trainee healers can do residencies and other studies (like if they go into a specialty and want to research it) at other hospitals with great ease! They can just Apparate or Floo home at the end of the day. It works well!

Emma//Hufflepuff

[slumber.livejournal.com]

And there's the thing, too-- IS St Mungo's big enough to house all the specialties in Healing that it can teach all the residents possible? Maybe there aren't many that graduate from the different schools, but surely there would be a variety of interests. Does St Mungo's even have a ressearch program/wing/what-have-you? Where do all the witches and wizards interested in those things go?

Evyclaw

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

Exactly! You could even have specialist units in different places, and it wouldn't matter too much because like you say, they can Apparate or Floo!

Fairy//Hufflepuff

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Yes, this exactly! LOL at your protesting, but I do think the Ministry would be flirting with danger if they thought only one hospital would work. Plus, forget the government, surely a businessman could see the need for more than one institution and have one built, if they haven't already!

Evyclaw

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

Aye, it does seem really strange that they only have one! I can see why a businessman hasn't opened one though, for it would be a little redundant since everyone can go to St Mungo's for free! The only people I can see paying for their healthcare are the Malfoys and the other Purebloods (we know what they're like!), and there aren't that many left anymore (and you have Purebloods like the Weasleys and Lovegoods too). Plus, from what I remember, St Mungo's was amazing, and any private hospital would need to be able to top that.

Even if they didn't want to open up a whole new hospital, they could have smaller units in different places across the UK?

Fairy//Hufflepuff

[slumber.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how healthcare works in the UK, oops, but I assumed even if patients didn't have to pay for the treatment themselves insurance companies would, and that's where the money would come from to run the hospitals. How do doctors get paid in the UK? (I'm assuming that model is what St Mungo's is patterned after.)

Evyclaw

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

No worries :) The government pays for the NHS (National Health Service) and everything involved (hospitals, doctors etc.) from general taxation, so there aren't any insurance companies as we don't need to buy insurance; everyone is entitled to just walk into a hospital or make a doctors appointment and be treated (this doesn't include private healthcare or hospitals of course, you need insurance for them I believe, but the NHS is the majority of the healthcare provided in the UK).

I think St Mungo's is modelled after the NHS too, since JKR is British and there's no mention of paying anywhere in the books (plus, the Weasleys said they were in and out of there when Fred and George were kids, and I don't think they'd have been able to afford to do that if it wasn't free!).

Fairy//Hufflepuff
PS. Sam, you don't have to give points for this if you don't want to! ♥

[slumber.livejournal.com]

I think you just made America weep. XD

That makes sense -- I guess private healthcare would make sense if there were a section of the public that didn't think they'd receive the treatment they needed if they weren't paying for it (and as you said, you couldn't imagine a family like the Malfoys going to a public hospital; plus with the way the wizarding world seems a little entrenched in the traditional, it's not too hard to think that rich pureblood families might have their own Healers paying them home visits and whatnot either!) but in general, government-owned institutions would probably be the norm, yeah.

Thanks for explaining this to me, Fairy!

Evyclaw
PS. Sam, same comment as Fairy's, no need to count this for points since it went a little off-tangent. :)

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

Aww xD

Yeah, very true!

No worries :)

Fairy//Hufflepuff
PS. Still same as earlier, Sam xD