The year was 1944 and in an old house located on Avenida Independencia 15 – where the Old Warehouse operates today – a group of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish immigrants began to provide services at the British Medical Dispensary, which years later was would transform into the current British Hospital of Buenos Aires.
Today, 180 years later, this non-profit medical institution is the oldest community hospital in the country, which is at the forefront of medical care and research for the development of future treatments and drugs.
Alexander KhonMedical Director of the hospital, highlighted Infobae the permanent search for the best doctors and nurses to meet the needs of patients, placing strong emphasis on scientific research.
“Care excellence is not obtained if we do not have teaching and research in the same body. Beyond opening your head and learning, the fact of having to teach strengthens all your knowledge that makes you in your professions. At our headquarters we do quaternary complexity medicine, That is, we do neurosurgery, solid organ transplant, bone marrow transplant and general research. We are very strong in clinical researcha”, highlighted Khon, who mentioned that the hospital, headquarters of clinical studies in Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4, currently has authorization from ANMAT.
“For example, we are testing new molecules for oncological treatments in animals. “We are inaugurating a new production unit for cytostatic drugs (a substance that delays or stops the growth of cells, including cancer cells, without destroying them, which can even prevent tumors from growing and spreading without reducing their size),” said the expert.
Meanwhile, the doctor Pablo Youngdirector of Teaching and Research at the British Hospital and passionate historian of medicine, explained that the work of Teaching Committee, which, together with the Services and the Teaching Department, aims to coordinate and plan the activities of Medical Residencies and Fellowships, as well as different tasks related to rotations and/or internships, degree activities and the promotion of courses, conferences and other postgraduate activities.
And also him Investigation Committee that integrates hospital projects for the development of new knowledge. This is a thriving and growing area; in the last year alone, more than 100 research studies were developed supported by the Institutional Review Board.
Recently, the Hospital was authorized to carry out Phase 1 clinical trials for the first time in humans. which will allow the development of lines of translational research (from the laboratory to clinical implementation) that will facilitate the inclusion of new treatments and procedures in clinical practice for the benefit of patients.
Finally, he highlighted having entered into health research training agreements with the Global Health Network (University of Oxford), and with the Biomedical Research Institute of the UCA and CONICET to support translational medicine studies.
Since its founding, the hospital sought to be at the forefront of medicine. That is why the first major hospital surgery under anesthesia complete from Argentina. The miraculous method invented months ago was brought to the country by Dr. John Mackenna, who used ether to anesthetize a patient undergoing trauma surgery.
Among his achievements he also has the founding of the oldest Nursing School in the country, having carried out the first cochlear transplant and performing the first laparoscopic colectomy.
“Our goal is to take care of people’s comprehensive health, train the best professionals and sustain, nourish and share the values that we have maintained since our origins. To face the next 180 years,” he explained Juan IrigoinDirector General of the British Hospital, to Infobae during a press conference.
“The Hospital stands out for its cutting-edge achievements, for the foundation of the oldest Nursing School in the countryand for the alliance with the University of Buenos Aires and the Argentine Catholic University, that enable it as a Teaching Unit and University Hospital, respectively.
It serves more than 1 and a half million patients a year; trains generations of nurses completely free of charge; and trains dozens of medical professionals every year. It has more than 3,000 health collaborators and a Network of its own Centers, with presence in the City of Buenos Aires and the Buenos Aires suburbs. In this way, it celebrates 180 years of history with a strong focus on the future, betting on cutting-edge infrastructure and technology and thus providing excellence and quality in the care of our patients,” added the director.
“We want the hospital to maintain its essence, not only the fulfillment of its mission and its vision as a non-profit entity, but also to invest heavily in research and teaching resources, providing high-end and highly complex services,” said the hospital. executive, which marked the “rich tradition” in the training of human resources that provide the best existing medical quality.
This rich tradition is part of the nursing school dating back to 1890 and which has been associated with the University of Buenos Aires for 92 years.
“It was the first Nursing School in the country based on the model implemented by Florence Nightingale, founder of the first nursing school at St. Thomas Hospital in London, thirty years ago and considered the pioneer of modern nursing.
In 2014, a new agreement with the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) began the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing focused on “Critical Care of Adult and Pediatric Patients”, a two-year course that requires professional internships and the preparation of a thesis. degree for completion. Since its founding, the School of Nursing has reached a total of 2,151 graduates. Currently, works are being carried out to expand the School of Nursing building.
The doctor Mariana Sciarrettacommercial director of the Hospital, told about the innovative program of “Medical tourism”, where patients from other countries come to be treated.
“The British Hospital of Buenos Aires is part of the Argentine Chamber of Medical Tourism (CATM), and it is a Latin American benchmark in health, due to its accredited quality, the technological equipment available and the high level of preparation of its medical professionals,” said the expert.
“Patients not only come to undergo cosmetic surgeries, but also to undergo ophthalmological operations and to consult about treatments for complex or rare diseases,” said Sciarretta, who highlighted the strong influence of patients from South America.
Finally, Alejandro Mansilla Lockwood, president of the HB highlighted the last major project of the medical institution: the construction of a 3-story building, including a new patient admission, day hospital, new operating rooms, recovery and pre-surgical rooms, pharmacy and sterilization.
According to the professional, the new building will allow the total integration of surgical services, concentrating all high and low complexity at the same level (operating rooms, hemodynamics, ICU/UCO) and optimization of the circulation of patients and staff, improving efficiency of the operation. In total there will be 10 new operating rooms that will be able to work independently. The building will have 5,000 square meters that will require an investment of about US$ 8 million.
