'County hospital' is the standard English translation of 县医院. It refers to a public medical institution serving a county-level administrative region in China — typically the largest and most comprehensive hospital in that county, offering outpatient, inpatient, emergency, and basic surgical services. The word combines three characters: 县 (xiàn), meaning 'county' — a rural or semi-urban administrative division; 医 (yī), meaning 'medical' or 'healing'; and 院 (yuàn), meaning 'institution' or 'hospital'. Together, they form a compound noun denoting a government-run healthcare facility at the county level.

County hospitals play a vital role in China’s tiered healthcare system, acting as referral centers for township health clinics and feeder institutions for city- or provincial-level hospitals. They are commonly staffed by general practitioners, specialists in internal medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, and surgery, and often serve as training sites for rural doctors. While urban residents may seek care at higher-tier hospitals, many county residents rely on their local 县医院 for routine and urgent care.