The city of Ribeirão Preto's general hospital beds demand in 1972 by the county's inhabitants was studied. Data from a hospital information center were used. The main characteristics of this demand were: high rate of in-patients, low hospitalization rate, short average length of permanence (caused by demographic factors and the hospitalization financing system) and finally 2.43 general hospital beds/1,000 inhabitants were used by the population that year.
Hospitalization; Beds (hospitals); Medical care
