[HPforGrownups] Health care and St Mungos

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 68083

Mary wrote:
>
> I can't recall much evidence either way about whether or not public
> health care is available in the wizarding world, so my only evidence is
> story external: JKR is writing in Britain, which has a public health
> care system, so it's at least possible that the cost of St Mungos is
> borne partly or wholy by MoM.

If you look at the history of health care in the UK, the WW equivalent seems
to be round about where muggledom was before there was a universal health
care system (though later than the time when if you were ill, you went to
your local wizard or witch for a cure!)

At that time, hospitals were charitably run. They raised their money by
fundraising, donations, and so on, and the doctors gave their time for
nothing as a sideline to their private practices.

St Mungos seems to be the same (minus the doctors, who given the existence
of healers, don't seem to be necessary...) They receive donations (eg from
Lucius Malfoy and presumably other wealthy families), they raise funds by
collections (as at the Ministry) and that's how they keep going.

In our world, the system just wasn't sustainable in the long run, and that
was part of the reason for introducing the National Health Service. But
canon (which is not surprisingly coy about public finance in general!) is
silent about whether St Mungos is comfortably off or having to run very hard
just to keep still

Cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri