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WHAT IS the difference between "hospice" and "hospital"?
(Lalitha V. Ramani, Salem)
A "hospital" is a place where people go to get some medical treatment when they are sick or injured. Most major cities have several hospitals. When you go to a hospital, you generally hope to come back alive. When you go to a 'hospice', on the other hand, you go with no such hope. One generally goes to a hospice knowing he/she is going to die.
A hospice is a special hospital where people who are terminally ill get admitted. These people have no hope of being cured. So, unlike a hospital, a hospice not only takes care of the medical needs of a patient, but also looks after his emotional needs. The focus here is on keeping people as comfortable as possible — both physically and emotionally. By the way, the final "pice" in 'hospice' rhymes with the words "miss" and "kiss". The final 'e' is silent and the main stress is on the first syllable. Here are a few examples.
* The Minister said that the Government was thinking of opening a hospice for AIDS patients.
* Hemant spent the last few months of his life in a hospice.
S. Upendran
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