The Ciencias Médicas Foundation of Rosario

Fundación de Ciencias Médicas (Medical Science Foundation) of Rosario, Argentina, was founded in 1977 with the purpose of giving the University of Rosario Medical School an external institution for the enhancement of existing careers, awareness on the development of health related sciences, and material support for specific educational objectives.

The Foundation's action during its early years was mainly to organise courses on specific subjects, and to fund postgraduate studies for selected professionals.

Health care technology was later donated to the state-run Centenario Hospital, the training centre associated to the Medical School, such as equipment for tomography, echography, ECG, breast scanning, etc, that were received as donations during the 1980's and 90's, a half of which is still in use, and the other half was replaced by new, state of the art machines purchased by the provincial government.

In 1992 our Foundation launched a public fund raising campaign to set up an evisceration chamber for the Medical School, an essential tool for a more practical approach in the graduate career. It culminated successfully the next year, with the opening of a fully equipped chamber and a significant involvement of the students and Rosario's general population in the reality of its appreciated Medical School.

From then on, the Foundation's main concerns were concentrated in health care and research within the Centenario Hospital.
In 1996 the CTSP (Centro de Tecnología para la Salud Pública - Centre of Technology for Public Health) was started thanks to the Foundation's applications to the WHO (World Health Organisation) and Argentina's national Health Minister. (See descriptive document attached).

During the following years, the Foundation continued to fund the assistance provided daily to thousands of people at the image service.

BICENTENNIAL PROJECT

In 2001 our Foundation made a public presentation of its new "Proyecto Bicentenario" (Bicentennial Project), whose aim was a completely redeveloped, modernised Hospital in 2010, the second centenary anniversary of the beginning of Argentina's Independence Revolution, and the first hundred years of the initial construction works at the Centenario Hospital.

For the first time, an important number of Rosario businessmen and media gathered around an initiative of this sort. An appeal was made to turn traditional charity into a permanent commitment with a hospital which is nowadays a health-care, geographical, and historic landmark of the city.

The public health system in Rosario Rosario is Argentina's third city, with 1¼ million population. Public health is provided by both the Municipal and Provincial government, sometimes with a competitive approach. Due to social and economic characteristics of the country, Rosario is receiving thousands of immigrants from the poorest regions of Argentina and neighbouring nations. This, together with a natural flow of patients from dozens of nearby small towns, puts a huge demand on the local public health system. Over half of the population depends on it. Argentina's health system provides private health care to workers, through a mutual insurance that was successful decades ago. But growing unemployment and unregistered workforce make up a total of over 40% of the population left out of the organised health care system, resulting in an increasing pressure on public health facilities. A third fact is that the State health budget has been steadily but permanently reduced during the last three decades.

The first stage of the Project was completed between October and December, 2001, in association with a leading supermarket. The fund-raising came through donations made by the consumers leaving their cents change at the counter.

Even in the midst of Argentina's worst recession ever, the collected amount was enough to fully refurbish the 24-hour emergency ward at the hospital.
A humble beginning that nevertheless resulted in amplified public awareness of the public hospital's needs.

THE DAY HOSPITAL

The next projected stage, the hospital's one-day surgery and clinical service was made possible that same year, through a significant donation by an almost-100 old lady, heir of one of the city's largest fortunes. Occupying nearly 2,000 sq metres, the "Hospital de Día Enrique Astengo" was opened to patients in 2003, with two state of the art operating rooms and cancer treatment facilities. And it has been working full pace ever since, a service so efficient, comfortable and with a technology that can be compared to the best private institutions in town.

All of this citizen action and commitment with the hospital triggered the provincial government interest in the matter.
At the same time, the local Stock Exchange put forward their intention to financially support the instrumental equipment for the projected reconditioned wards.

The Centenario Hospital of Rosario This Hospital was conceived and originally built thanks to a private initiative led by a local businessman, Cornelio Casablanca, in 1910. Every city in the whole country was planning the Independence Revolution Centennial their own way. Casablanca's group proposed to put up a much needed medical school in a city that was growing at great pace. They implemented a successful campaign to raise donations, and just a few days later the foundation stone was placed. This dragged the government into being part of the enterprise, and a four-hectare site in an area that is now central to the city was allotted for the building. European architects were hired for the project, which resulted in two huge, magnificent buildings, one for the school and another for the hospital. It was in the 1920s and 30s one of the world's masterpieces of sanatorium architecture. And generations of doctors were educated by internationally renowned professors, the fathers of today's prestige for Rosario Medical School.

As a result, a public trust agreement was signed in 2004 by the three parties: the provincial Government of Santa Fe, the Ciencias Médicas Foundation, and Rosario Stock Exchange, by which the Governor made a promise to subsidize the Foundation's projected reconstruction of several units in the hospital, and the Stock Exchange stated their duty to furnish those with the necessary technology, provided the official promise was fulfilled.

	Funding agreement signed between the Foundation and Province of Santa Fe's governor Jorge Obeid (July 2006)

2005 and 2006 have been two years of hard work, with seven of the existing 14 hospital units already taken over by the Bicentennial Project's works. Funds have flowed in for the redevelopment, although not quite enough, demanding even more out of the now renowned efficiency and expertise of our Foundation.
It will soon be the Stock Exchange's turn to produce the financial resources that will allow for a much needed improvement in the hospital's health care standards.

And after that, perhaps the hardest everyday work: to try and keep up all of these achievements.
On a strong Centenario Hospital unfortunately depend the wellbeing and lives of thousands of people from Rosario and surrounding areas.

The lack of human resources is aiming to be one of the tightest bottlenecks in heath care. And this is particularly so in underdeveloped countries.
Our Foundation's projected next course of action is to try and have as many graduate medical doctors receiving training in these fields as possible.
Molecular biology, image technology, bioengineering, and other fields appear to be the future challenge in human health.

Sadly, most of Argentina's university medical faculties, though massive in number of students and graduates, are suffering of a severe deficiency in up-to-date educational programmes.
The Ciencias Médicas Foundation is determined to set up cooperation agreements with foreign universities in order to send out as many Argentinean trainees as possible, or necessary. Foreign students will be welcome to work in Argentina's peculiar public health system, as well.

It is, no doubt, the shortest way to catch up with the ever developing advances in drugs, instruments, treatments, protocols, and techniques.
A subsequent dissemination in Argentina of newly acquired knowledge will be required from the subsidized trainees.

Human health being an issue concerning the whole of the human kind, we are confident that this international cooperation appeal will succeed.

PROF. DR. OSCAR H. FAY, Biochemist, Doctorate in Medical Science President of the Ciencias Médicas Foundation of Rosario Dr. Fay is a Professor at the Biochemistry School, University of Rosario, Argentina. He is also Director of the Center of Technology in Public Health (CTSP), the center which cooperates with the WHO in Viral Hepatitis, located in the same School. After having graduated in the Biochemistry School in the University of Litoral in 1965, he became a Doctor in Biochemistry in the National University of Rosario in 1968. Early in his career he focussed his research on clinical biochemistry of liver diseases. He has worked in different fields such as enzymology, proteinology, metabolic disorders, immunology, immunopathology and viral diseases. He has also worked in epidemiology, particularly in the relationship of different endemicity patterns in Latin America. Additionally, he has taken part in the design of immunization plans, inside World Health Organization Program in Africa, China, Central and Eastern Europe, and West Caribbean Island. Dr. Fay has led several research projects focused on Hepatitis A, B, C and D prevalence in the region as well as on the analysis of prevention strategies. Apart from his responsibilities in the National University of Rosario, he has been active member of the International Association for the Study of the Liver (IASLD) and Advisor to the Advisor Committee on Viral Hepatitis of Pan American Health Organization (P.A.H.O), Member of the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (P.A.T.H) Task Force. He is also Member of the Argentine academy of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. As earlier as HIV infections became apparent in the World, Dr. Fay introduced the prevention actions in Latin America, particularly in the South Cone, having reported more than a thousand papers and communication in epidemiology, surveillance and antiviral medication. The report about prevalence, transmission and route of contiguousness were his mayor contribution to the understanding of the viral infection in the area. Nowadays he conducts one of he Reference Center from the National Program in Argentina and he is member of the National Technical Committee from the Minister of Public Health. Dr. Fay has published over 120 papers, and presented more than 350 papers in different scientific events, particularly on infectious diseases, immunization and molecular virology, into the fields of viral transmissible diseases.