A clinic is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs of populations in local communities, in contrast to larger hospitals which offer more specialized treatments and admit inpatients for overnight stays.
Military Policlinic in Legionowo, Poland
The entrance to a surgery clinic in Greenwich, London
A medpunkt (health care access point) delivers primary health care to the residents of the village of Veliki Vrag, Russia.
Policlinic in Karl-Marx-Stadt, German Democratic Republic
A health facility is, in general, any location where healthcare is provided. Health facilities range from small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and large hospitals with elaborate emergency rooms and trauma centers. The number and quality of health facilities in a country or region is one common measure of that area's prosperity and quality of life. In many countries, health facilities are regulated to some extent by law; licensing by a regulatory agency is often required before a facility may open for business. Health facilities may be owned and operated by for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, governments, and, in some cases, individuals, with proportions varying by country. See also the recent review paper,
Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. A hospital is one common type of health facility.
An eye, ear, nose, and throat clinic in Durham, North Carolina, illustrating a common smaller facility.