Houses of the Ill

"As the rich and poor alike, the greatest and the least are all equally laid low by the ravages of disease, so too is their need for aid equal. It thus falls upon the community to make provision for the health of the community, for anyone afflicted is by the nature of their affliction unable to provide for it themselves."

— Tariq al-Lodi, Nuwan scholar in the 3rd century, recorded in the Tariqans.

For the often ruthlessly mercantile Runberi, the Houses of the Ill are an oddity. In modern times established in every Runberi settlement of any note, the Houses of the Ill provide for the care of the injured and the sick, until they are recovered. This service is provided for no cost, and typical Houses of the Ill are operated out of buildings donated by wealthy patricians for the purpose. Most, but not all, are administered by clergy of the Temple of Nuwa, and some are further funded by cash endowments that the Houses use to invest in business ventures to fund their operations. Others are funded by the local temple, and in some cases by the city government. A few major Runberi settlements even have multiple buildings like these.

Purpose / Function

Houses of the Ill provide for the dual purpose of tending to the sick and training medical professionals. Many also have quarantine facilities for dangerous communicable diseases. The overall mission statement of the Houses of the Ill is to provide for the public health of the community they reside in, and provide a place for the afflicted to rest and recover.

History

Though hospitals had existed in Runber before the Tariqans were collected, the institution of the Houses of the Ill has largely spread with the Temple of Nuwa. Before the Nuwans, many hospitals were profit seeking enterprises, and the idea of donating buildings for use as hospitals was not considered prestigious by the merchant-aristocracy. Nuwan teachings, and in particular the Tariqans made it laudable to invest into the public health of the community, and channeled some of the incessant status competitions of the Runberi upper-class towards the public good. Today, the Houses of the Ill are a longstanding facet of Runberi society.