Bimaristan:
The western system of medicine owes a great deal of debt to the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Chinese and the Indians but the framework for bringing together experts under a single roof to heal the sick was popularised by Muslims. Bimaristan (refuge for the Sick) 1 is not only a predecessor to the modern hospital but its roles and functions would be virtually indistinguishable from a modern Hospital.
Muslims came across the inspiring medical practitioners of JundaysÄbÅ«r and then set about revolutionising patient care throughout the Islamic world. The establishment of the first Bimaristan is credited to the Muslim Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik [668–715]. However it was the famous Harun al-Rashid [763–809] who invited Jabril ibn Bukhtishu to formally setup the first and then a series of Bimaristans throughout the Islamic Caliphate.
The NHS was founded by the then Health Secretary Aneurin “Nye†Bevan on the 5th of July 1948 with Park Hospital in Manchester being the first hospital. 13 year old Sylvia Beckingham (née Sylvia Diggory) became the first patient to be admitted to the hospital due to nephritis. The NHS was not founded at a time of great prosperity, it was founded at a time when Britain and its citizens were weary of two world wars, the treasury was depleted and the empire was in decline. Britain was also in the middle of an acute housing crisis. The establishment of NHS was an attempt by our predecessors to heal the sick. They found the money and the resources despite being under unprecedented economic pressure a few years after WWII. We salute all those at the NHS who have and continue to play a role in healing the sick. You are the foundation of the NHS and it cannot function without your dedication and your sacrifice.
