Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Encyclopedia
The Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires is a private hospital
in Buenos Aires
, capital of Argentina
. It has 500 beds and serves around 2,000 inpatients per month. Its main facilities cover a surface area of 78,000 m² (850,000 ft²). The hospital treats both private patients and those derived by social security
. It also provides its own health insurance
plan, being the most important pre-paid healthcare service in Argentina, with about 110,000 clients.
immigrant community of the city. Its foundation stone was laid on March 12, 1854, on a tract of land donated by a priest, Father José Arata. Count Giovanni Battista Albini of Sardinia
contributed in the name of King Vittorio Emanuele I
with the sum of 45,000 peso
s. The construction was nevertheless delayed due to lack of funding, until in 1858 it was resumed by the association Unione e Benevolenza.
The hospital was almost finished in 1865, when the national government asked that it be set aside to treat wounded Brazil
ian soldiers of the War of the Triple Alliance
. In 1867 the works were resumed, only to be stopped once again by an epidemic
of cholera
, which prompted the government of the city of Buenos Aires to requisition its services until 1869. It was employed to treat soldiers again until the end of the war in 1870, and then in 1871 to house yellow fever
patients. The hospital was finally inaugurated on December 8, 1872.
, and in time the facilities proved too small. A campaign was started to obtain funds from the public in order to expand them. In 1888 the government of Buenos Aires asked for it to be moved.
On December 15, 1889, the foundation stone of the new Hospital Italiano was laid, on a city block delimited by Gascón, Potosí, Palestina and Perón streets, in the borough of Almagro
. The ceremony was attended by Elisa F. de Juárez Celman, wife of then-President Miguel Juárez Celman, and a representative of King Umberto I of Italy
; the new building was inaugurated on December 21, 1901. In 1903 the Nursing
School was installed, and in 1905 the hospital additionally became a medicine and surgery
school.
A new building (the Policlínico) was inaugurated on September 20, 1913.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, capital of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It has 500 beds and serves around 2,000 inpatients per month. Its main facilities cover a surface area of 78,000 m² (850,000 ft²). The hospital treats both private patients and those derived by social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
. It also provides its own health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
plan, being the most important pre-paid healthcare service in Argentina, with about 110,000 clients.
The first hospital
The hospital was originally an initiative of a commission formed by distinguished members of the numerous ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrant community of the city. Its foundation stone was laid on March 12, 1854, on a tract of land donated by a priest, Father José Arata. Count Giovanni Battista Albini of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
contributed in the name of King Vittorio Emanuele I
Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel I was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1802 to 1821, and Jacobite Pretender from 1819 until his death.-Biography:...
with the sum of 45,000 peso
Argentine peso
The peso is the currency of Argentina, identified by the symbol $ preceding the amount in the same way as many countries using dollar currencies. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. Its ISO 4217 code is ARS...
s. The construction was nevertheless delayed due to lack of funding, until in 1858 it was resumed by the association Unione e Benevolenza.
The hospital was almost finished in 1865, when the national government asked that it be set aside to treat wounded Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian soldiers of the War of the Triple Alliance
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
. In 1867 the works were resumed, only to be stopped once again by an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, which prompted the government of the city of Buenos Aires to requisition its services until 1869. It was employed to treat soldiers again until the end of the war in 1870, and then in 1871 to house yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
patients. The hospital was finally inaugurated on December 8, 1872.
The second hospital
The management of the hospital struck agreements with philanthropic associations for the attention of other immigrants besides the Italian communityItalian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
, and in time the facilities proved too small. A campaign was started to obtain funds from the public in order to expand them. In 1888 the government of Buenos Aires asked for it to be moved.
On December 15, 1889, the foundation stone of the new Hospital Italiano was laid, on a city block delimited by Gascón, Potosí, Palestina and Perón streets, in the borough of Almagro
Almagro, Buenos Aires
Almagro is a mostly middle-class barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The neighbourhood is delimited by La Plata avenue and Río de Janeiro street to the west, Independencia avenue to the south, Sánchez de Bustamante, Sánchez de Loria and Gallo streets to the east, and Córdoba/Estado de Israel avenues...
. The ceremony was attended by Elisa F. de Juárez Celman, wife of then-President Miguel Juárez Celman, and a representative of King Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan...
; the new building was inaugurated on December 21, 1901. In 1903 the Nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
School was installed, and in 1905 the hospital additionally became a medicine and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
school.
A new building (the Policlínico) was inaugurated on September 20, 1913.