Hospital Nacional de Niños is a national
pediatric hospital
A children's hospital is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In certain special cases, they may also treat adults. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th ...
in
San José, Costa Rica
San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San ...
. It has provided
medical care to children in the country since its founding in 1845.
In 1945 and as one of the events to celebrate the centennial of the San José Hospital, a new ward opened with a capacity of 140 beds. The
polio epidemic that struck the child population in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
in 1954 caused the hospital to face serious problems generated by the unexpected rise in the number of patients.
The hospital is recognized by HEALTH Without Damage, an international coalition of over 473 organizations in 53 countries working to transform the field of
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
.
The hospital has approximately 250 beds and treats children under the age of 13.
References
External links
Official siteHospitals in Costa Rica
Hospitals in San José, Costa Rica
Hospitals established in 1845
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