François Guérard

Portrait d’une institution oubliée : l’hôpital privé à but lucratif, 1900–1960

Apparu durant le XIXe siecle au Canada, l’hopital a but lucratif se developpe jusqu’a la decennie 1970. Son histoire meconnue importe particulierement aujourd’hui puisqu’apres une eclipse d’une quarantaine d’annees, il a ressurgi. Cet article retrace les phases de son implantation au Quebec en faisant ressortir une remarquable diversite de creneaux et de clienteles comme de proprietaires ou de gestionnaires. Multiforme, agissant en concurrence ou en complementarite avec les etablissements sans but lucratif, prompt a exploiter des marches negliges par ces derniers et cherchant a s’en demarquer, terrain d’election d’entrepreneures feminines, l’hopital a but lucratif livre une histoire qui surprend. For-profit hospitals appeared in Canada during the 19th century and developed until the 1970s. Their history is of particular interest today since for-profit hospitals have resurfaced after an eclipse of about forty years. This article sketches their stages of implantation in the province of Quebec, revealing a remarkable diversity of niche markets, customers, owners, and managers. Multifaceted, working as a competitor or as a complement to the not-for-profit hospitals, quick to exploit markets the latter neglected, or providing a choice field of work for female entrepreneurs, the for-profit hospital shows some surprising historical features.