A Hospital in Another World?

A Hospital in Another World?

The successful development of the 【Alleviate Pain ·EpiduralSpell】, or the labor pain relief spell, greatly expanded the service range of the Oak Grove Clinic.

Previously, there were either penniless poor who entered the hospital under the guise of medical research for childbirth, with all treatment fees, accommodation, and meals waived;

Or the city's top earners, at least the top 0.1%, who spent thousands of gold coins to enjoy cesarean sections. These people even brought their own magic-enhanced houses, complete with spells for warmth, pest repellence, and had their own servants and maids, never enduring the crowded and noisy maternity wards.

However, the labor pain relief spell extended services to those earning between 100 and 500 gold coins a year. This group had money, albeit not a lot;

Some even had a level of spellcasting, but not enough to sustain a 24-hour 【Shelter Hut】;

Their social status was definitely much higher than that of impoverished farmwives, but still lower than that of Garrett. They wouldn't even think of pressuring Garrett to change his mind about treating the poor or vacating rooms for their female family members.

So... the maternity ward beds at Oak Grove Clinic kept expanding into the corridors...

Garrett was unmoved. Adding beds? Into the corridors? That's how public hospitals operate. To enjoy private services, bring your own house, or build one!

Yet, the demand was real. One family member asked, then another, and within just three days, a dozen or two had inquired:

"Can you make room for my wife/daughter/sister/sister-in-law? I can pay extra..."

"One room, three days, 500 gold coins."

"Wasn't it 100 gold coins before?"

"That was the discount for council mages..."

Some family members tremblingly paid up, most went back crying, arranging for their relatives to struggle and stay with the impoverished women. Even Leon Carlos, in charge of hospital administration, couldn't stand it anymore and quietly approached Garrett, discussing:

"Boss, can we build another building? I've done the calculations, and we have about 4,000 gold coins left over. Save a bit more, and we'll have enough for a small building..."

"It's hardly enough," Garrett frowned. There was indeed a surplus, but just enough to build a small building with at most 10 rooms. But looking at the current demand, one small building was nowhere near enough.

We'd need to expand to at least 50 beds! 40 regular beds, 10 VIP beds, and even a VVIP room to satisfy these wealthy individuals!

The needed budget would more than double...

Besides, Garrett knew the surplus in his hands was unreliable. Despite the hospital's profits, these profits were essentially earned by exploiting spellcasters:

Under the guise of learning, healers working at the Oak Grove Clinic earned a mere base salary. Take Priest Matthew as an example, a 5th-level priest, whose average yearly income was around 500 contribution points, but at the Oak Grove Clinic, he could only earn 100 contribution points a year...

Add the wages, add the casting fees for treating the poor, and the clinic's ledger would instantly collapse.

Exploiting spellcasters couldn't last long. Just like in Garrett's previous life, relying on reducing medical staff salaries, letting interns, resident physicians, and young house doctors undertake vast amounts of work for very low wages, lowering medical costs in society.

This practice left doctors unhappy, and patients were actually unsatisfied too. The poor medical experience led to intense medical disputes, with various conflicts arising now and then.

If possible, Garrett also wanted their salaries to be on par with the normal income for their level. So, funding... perhaps, there had to be another way...

"Magus Nordmark! Magus Nordmark!"

A loud voice echoed from the front entrance of the hospital all the way in. Garrett put down his quill, peered out the door, and saw a familiar chubby leader followed by a string of fat men—

Their clothes shimmered with gold and silver, not from gold buttons but from silver threads. Garrett was still a bit clueless about the leader's name, observing closely from his face to his swollen knuckles, he suddenly realized:

Wasn't this the gouty merchant who had been treated here twice, and had even brought his father here once, from whom Garrett had removed a rotten chili from his lungs!

"Mr. Sangres!" He hurried forward to greet them, balancing the need to appear friendly without seeming too eager: no patient feels good seeing a doctor happy about "business coming to the door"...

Managing this expression was tricky. Fortunately, now as a 6th-level magus and a figure of considerable standing, higher than these merchants, just relaxing his facial muscles slightly made others feel flattered.

Each fat

man bowed, their protruding bellies uniformly creasing:

"Magus Nordmark!"

"Lord Nordmark~~~"

Garrett invited them into the conference room, seated them, served coffee, and the skeleton nurse brought snacks. Without waiting to ask each one "What's troubling you?", the leading gouty wealthy merchant couldn't wait to speak up:

"Lord Nordmark, we have a request..."

"What is it?"

Garrett leaned forward slightly, listening intently. What brought all these people together?

To petition the council to lift certain trade bans?

To request the opening of certain sea routes?

Or to ask for reduced taxes, to pass/revoke certain decrees?

I can't do any of that!

Fortunately, the merchants had a fairly accurate estimate of his influence. Sangres beamed:

"Lord Nordmark, we've heard recently that your clinic is in need of a new ward. So, us folks..."

Are they planning to donate? Garrett's eyes lit up. This group of about ten people, each could effortlessly contribute 1,000 gold coins, pooling together, they had enough for a building!

"...We hope to invest in your medical clinic. It's said the council previously invested 5,000 contribution points, we're willing to collectively contribute 10,000 gold coins for just 20% of the shares..."

Garrett's smile slowly faded. Sangres, watching his reaction, quickly amended:

"Even 10% would do!... Or, 5%? Really, we can't go any lower... Otherwise, why not just calculate the maternity ward business separately, we'll take 20% of that share?"

Garrett raised a hand to stop him. 10,000 gold coins for a 5% share, valuing the clinic at 200,000 gold coins. But sorry, letting you invest in the hospital unless my brain is damaged.

This clinic is a bottomless pit!

No matter how much you invest, it would be consumed in medical research, universal healthcare, and even paying the healers!

"I'm sorry, the clinic only accepts donations, not investments." He looked directly at them, his tone firm. Without waiting for them to bargain, he smiled and shifted the conversation:

"However, if you gentlemen are willing to donate a ward, you can certainly have the naming rights to the building. Additionally, I'll also engrave your names and donation amounts on the wall at the entrance or on the wall outside the building, perhaps even the name of your businesses?"