Were there ever any stories that actually focused on trying to save the lives of patients and maybe the frustration when you lose a patient? Otherwise, they've had evil twins (https://www.tvovermind.com/general-hospital-spoilers-evil-twins-everywhere/), super spies (https://www.thewrap.com/tristan-rogers-robert-scorpio-to-return-to-general-hospital/), mob wars (https://www.canyon-news.com/mob-war-erupts-on-general-hospital/105911), terrorists, villains (https://www.fame10.com/entertainment/8-general-hospital-villains-ranked-from-worst-to-best/) with super-weapons, serial killers (https://general-hospital-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Serial_killers), vampires (https://www.tvguide.com/news/general-hospital-vampires-1058614/), and aliens (https://general-hospital.fandom.com/wiki/Casey_Rogers_(Bradley_Lockerman)).

I was never a serious watcher of soap operas, but my mom watched GH and OLTL religiously when I was a kid. I remember there were many medical storylines on General Hospital in the early years. Decades later, I was flipping through the channels and watched an episode, but there was no sign of a hospital at all.

Patients were never characters, if that what you mean.

I never watched them regularly, but would catch them in passing when my Mother and Sister were watching together. My sis told me that the spin-off "Port Charles" actually featured more medical stuff over GH before they went all supernatural.

Also, the short-lived prime-time "Night Shift" was almost entirely set in the hospital.