Such charitable, benevolent, penal, and correctional institutions and agencies as the needs of humanity and the public good may require shall be established and operated by the State under such organization and in such manner as the General Assembly may prescribe.
History Note. - This section is new with the Constitution of 1970.
CASE NOTES
Obligation of County to Pay for Health Care of Indigent Sick. - A county does not have an obligation, under this section and N.C. Const., Art. XI, § 4, to pay for hospital care for its indigent residents. In the absence of a delegation by the State to the counties of the obligation to pay the costs of medical care of the indigent sick, such obligation is that of the State. Craven County Hosp. Corp. v. Lenoir County, 75 N.C. App. 453, 331 S.E.2d 690, cert. denied, 314 N.C. 663, 336 S.E.2d 620 (1985).