Asclepius Trust

The Asclepius Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free healthcare for Lovian citizens. As there is no government-funded health provider in Lovia, the Trust plays an important role in providing healthcare.

Name
The Trust is named for the Greek god of healing, Asclepius.

Conception
The idea for such an organization dates back to Founding Father Stephen Robinson, who during the 1930s Depression noted in his diary the need for free healthcare and outlined a plan for implementing this.

The idea was first put into practice by James Frances during the 1950s famines. At first he ran it himself in a haphazard fashion, charging no fees, but later, after the economic situation became more secure, he began to charge a standard, though low, fee per month. After this fee had been paid, medical treatment became free for the individual.

He was later able to hire other doctors, and since then the Trust has expanded, opening surgeries in all five states. One of the chief attractions of the Trust has been its non-profit status; notably, Dr. Frances gave himself an equal salary to all his junior employees. Another attraction was the progressive way in which the fees were charged. People with an income below a certain level did not have to pay fees.

Current existence
Currently, the Trust employs 23 doctors, almost half of the total amount in Lovia.

Finances
The Trust receives money from a variety of sources.
 * Regular payments from subscribers.
 * Fees from the medical students studying at the prestigious Asclepius Medical School, a college of Blackburn University, Newhaven.
 * Profits made from the flourishing pharmaceutical industry in Lovia, dominated by the Trust.
 * Donations from various businessmen.

Due to the large income the Trust has begun to receive in recent years, it is able to subsidise treatment for non-subscribers. They must, however, continue to pay some of the cost.

The Trust is also planning to applied for government support.

Surgeries
Each state has its own surgery, apart from Sylvania, which has three. The Trust does not own its own hospitals, but pays a fee to use others, such as the Noble City General Hospital.

Subscribers
''If you wish to subscribe to this service, please write your name below. The current fee is 5% of your yearly income, unless you earn over $100,000, in which case it is 15% of the excess, or less than $20,000, in which case you need pay nothing. Certain medicines must be paid for by the patient, as must be stays in hospital of over four weeks''
 * Semyon Breyev

Doctors

 * Rick Frances
 * Semyon Breyev