At all stages of life, medical care is essential, but especially during childhood. Throughout these years is when various diseases occur that affect the development of the rest of life. That is why not only specialists are needed, but hospitals that focus on the pediatric area. In the case of Mexico, there is Shriners Hospital that stands out for caring for the health of children from 0 to 18 years of age with orthopedic conditions and burn sequelae. While its main virtue is that it offers a totally free service.
A hospital with a long past
The most important thing is that today marks 77 years of being a benchmark in our country. The Shriners Hospital for children was inaugurated on March 10, 1945 as part of one of the initiatives to address the infantile paralysis and the sequelae of poliomyelitis. At that time it barely had 10 beds but as time went by it saw an important evolution. From the beginning of its operations and until 1947, 400 infants from all the states of the Republic were treated and at least 250 had been discharged.
It would be in 1949 that, with the support of his foundation, a house was opened to the south of the city for the care and attention of convalescent patients. By 1961 the first Shriners Hospitals for Children Mexico in the tree of fire street with 60 beds, two operating rooms, department of physiotherapy, prosthetics and orthotics.
Finally, for 2006, it was installed at Av. del Imán No. 257, which remains as its current location. To date, it has the best and most modern specialized facilities in Latin America.
current infrastructure
To date, it has 80 beds, four operating rooms and all the services related to pediatric orthopedics. While since the beginning of the pandemic the service of telemedicine. As a result, throughout 2020, more than 500 medical consultations were made online to patients in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Guadalajara Jalisco; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Mérida, Yucatán and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas.
During 2021, and despite the complications caused by the pandemic, the Shriners Hospital for Children Mexico registered free care for more than 62,000 patients, the performance of 6,799 orthopedic surgeries, 815 prostheses delivered, 430 reconstructive surgeries for burns and more than 1,000 Telemedicine consultations. He also announced the project for an upcoming opening of a clinic that will aim to serve children in the northwest of the country.
Notably, the Shriners Hospitals network is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world. It has an international system of 21 health centers (18 in the United States, one in Canada and soon two in Mexico) dedicated to transforming the lives of thousands of children from 0 to 18 years of age.
Latest innovative service
The basis from the beginning has been timely attention and specialized research. One of his most recent projects was the incorporation of the precision medicine and genomics nationwide.
The main objective of this research is to collect samples from patients and their biological parents to perform state-of-the-art sequencing that allows us to understand the genomic variability of individuals, their environment and lifestyle. It will also allow you to assess the effectiveness of your clinical practices, as well as discover new and improved treatments for your patients.
This project is part of SHC Genomics and Precision Medicine Project conducted throughout the Shriners hospital network in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In this way, it seeks to help patients through new genetic discoveries of diseases. Shriners Hospital currently has invitations to patients and family members in Mexico to participate in the study.