About a quarter of private hospitals in this country are facing financial problems, according to a survey conducted by a research group. (1)The survey shows that for 24 percent hospitals, the cost of providing medical services exceeded the income received. The worst performing institutions appear to be relatively small hospitals in large cities. (2)The main cause seems to be the fact that the number of patients in small hospitals has significantly declined. Because of this and other factors, there is a gap between expenditure and revenue.