COMUNIDAD
ANGLOPARLANTE

The British Hospital, barely 34 years younger than the Argentine Republic, was founded by a group of british citizens belonging to the British Philantropic Society, who in 1844 bought a house on Independencia street for the British Medical Dispensary. Its initial mission was to give medical care to the british residents as also to the sailors of visiting british ships.

The first physicians of the Dispensary –soon known as the British Hospital – were Dr. Robinson and Dr. John Mackenna.

To satisfy the increasing volume of patients, the Hospital moved to the corner of Viamonte and Uruguay. There, in 1847, Dr. Mackenna undertook the first surgery in Argentina under General Anæsthesia.

In 1861 the Hospital moved to the corner of Defensa and Caseros, and that year Dr, Robert Reid, who graduated from Edinburgh University, was appointed as the first Resident Medical Officer. His devotion to his work was admirable, and he died in 1870 of yellow fever while attending to patients of that terrible epidemic.
The British Hospital team of doctors and nurses, led by Dr. John Alston, who was experienced in Tropical Diseases, gave of their services generously throughout the epidemic.

The Hospital’s constant growth resulted in the acquisition in 1884 on the city square where it now stands. The following year the Committee of Management approved the building plans, and the founding stone was laid in 1886 by Argentina’s President, Julio A. Roca. Thus, the fourth British Hospital was inaugurated in 1887.

In 1889 the Hospital engaged the services of Nurse Isabel Eames, who trained in the Florence Nightingale Nursing School at St. Thomas Hospital in London. As the new Matron, in 1890 she founded the first Nursing School in Argentina, which maintains its prestige and leadership up to present times.

In its long history, what stands out over the years are the continuous donations made by members of the community to sustain and expand the Hospital, as also the dedication of its trustees and the members of the Board across the generations, in guiding the Hospital’s fortunes until these days.

A massive Fund Raising campaign was undertaken by the Community from 1935 to 1939, to erect a new building on the existing premises. The Fifth Hospital was inaugurated in 1940, as was the new Nurses Home. A few years later, the Repetto building was added.

The renewed activities and commitment of the Fund Raising Committee as from 2000 led to the Art Therapy Centre, followed by the Neonatology with the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and a new attachment to the Adult Intensive Care Unit, known as the Roberts Ward.

The long standing commitment of the trustees and the governing Board has been shown by the awards bestowed on many of its members by the Crown, in recognition of their distinguished services to the community.

The Prince of Wales, future King Edward VIII, visited the Hospital in 1925.
In 1953 Her Majesty, The Queen of England, Elizabeth II, granted her Patronage to the Hospital.
Many years later, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Kent, visited in 1970, and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1962 and 1966. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, visited the Hospital in 1999, when he laid the foundation stone of the new Emergency Ward. Finally, Princess Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, visited the Institution in 2008.

From the outset, the English speaking community looked after their members in need of medical attention free of charge. On these principles, a few years after the Second World War a medical assistance plan was created, and named the Contributory Scheme.

In 1970’s those plans of medical coverage were opened up to all the Argentine community. Today, through the Plan de Salud, 40.000 people enjoy the benefits of medical attention at the British Hospital, with plans tailored to the individual needs.

The practice of Medicine has changed drastically in the last 25 years. The Hospital has pioneered in introducing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in Argentina, such as the first cochlear implant in 1980 and the first bone marrow transplant in 1986. It acquired the first helical scanner in Latin America, it opened the first free standing major day surgery unit in the country, and in 2008 performed the second pancreatic transplantation, in a previous recipient of a kidney transplant.

These permanent technological improvements acquired over the years have been made possible by a highly qualified team of doctors, nurses and technicians, able to apply these advances to their patients. To this end, the Hospital invests heavily in postgraduate training.

Many people and their families come to the British Hospital for health reasons. Technological advances and top quality staff are not enough, if not accompanied by understanding and compassion: these are attributes shared by staff members at all levels.

One hundred and sixty five years have passed since the Rev, Barton Lodge and his associates conceived the idea of having a community hospital. It has accompanied the country since its earliest years, and today it is recognized as one of the finer institutions dedicated to Health Care in Buenos Aires. As such, it holds to its traditional values of ethical principles, of constant innovation, and of its striving for continuing quality in the delivery of health related services.