Nytt Liv Betyr Sykehus

(Norwegian) New Life Matters Hospital

Nytt Liv Betyr Sykehus is a hospital targeting the impoverished. The maternity ward is the largest section of the hospital in hopes of reducing the mortality rates for both mother and child during childbirth.

Purpose / Function

Nytt Liv Betyr Sykehus started small as an act of benevolence by a local physician. Voluntary health care workers ran a day clinic treating those who found themselves in the pit of society. The combination of publicity and socialite posturing amoung the upper class in Helsoynes quickly gave the clinic a sizeable bankroll that allowed it to operate successfully for years.
Although malnutrition and disease contributed to the majority of symptoms for those living in the Helsoynes slums, the greatest mortality rate was tied to childbirth. A revolutionary design for a multipurpose four-storey hospital was proposed, approved, and constructed with a significant portion of the clinic's cash reserve.

Alterations

Original Construction

The west wing of the top floor would serve as a temporary lodging for any pregnant woman in their last trimester. A few months of proper nutrition, immediate health care access, and clean living quarters would surely make for a great foundation for a successful birth. The smaller east wing of the top floor was a series of dedicated delivery rooms.
The middle two floors would form a kind of outpatient waystation. For the first six months, the new mother would be given the training and supplies to care for her newborn. The next six months would be dedicated to helping her find housing and employment to keep her and her child out of the slums.
The ground floor of the hospital would boast the intake clinic for the maternity ward, an outreach center for continued support for their discharged patients, and a walk-in clinic to coninue general support to the impoverished slum community.
Two basement levels were also constructed to house medical supplies and equipment, and give the staff a seperate space to relax, unwind, or study.

Renovation and Addition

Much like the original clinic, the newly constructed Nytt Liv Betyr Sykehus suffered from great success. Its facilities were quickly overwhelmed by an influx of pregnant women (not all of whom came from the slums). Still, the desire to save lives won the day, the two basement levels were renovated into additional outpatient waystation space. The third floor was repurposed as additional living space for women approaching childbirth.
An equally tall outbuilding was added immediately adjacent to the hospital to make up for the lost space for its staff and medical supplies. A spanning corridor connected the top floors of each building for quick access to the maternity and delivery wards.

History

The coffers ran dry shortly after the renovation of Nytt Liv Betyr Sykehus. Darker business interests started to reshape the vision of the hospital to their own ends.
Many women still depart the facility, child in hand. But for those that pay close attention, the numbers don't balance. The child mortality rate has slowly been rising over the years, at least based on the number of childless women the facility expels.
Furthermore, many of the woman that do leave have scarring on their bodies that weren't there when they entered yet they have no memory of when or how they were injured.
Worse still, some of the patients are never seen leaving. Some have reportedly given birth multiple times during their stay. Others have simply vanished.

Type

Hospital

Parent Location

Helsoynes