Beneficência Portuguesa de Porto Alegre
[2] The idea of founding a Portuguese philanthropic entity in Porto Alegre dates back to 1845, when the acting Vice President of the Province, Major Patrício José Correia da Câmara, became aware of the project and showed his goodwill by supporting the cause.However, the recently ended Farroupilha Revolution had harassed the largely Portuguese Restoration Party, and the project, shrouded in suspicion and political hesitation, was temporarily abandoned.[3] On September 1, 1923, the internal administration of the hospital was handed over to the Sisters of Divine Providence, recognized for their efficiency, under the direction of Mother Egbertina, inaugurating a new phase in the functioning of the entity.In 1937, an extensive area of land in Gravataí was acquired, with 130 hectares of bush, pasture, and water, in order to set up a farm that could generate additional funds, and to create the Retiro da Velhice (English: Retirement Home).[3] In 1951, the Beneficência Portuguesa participated as an invited guest in the IV South American Congress of Neurosurgery, which was a milestone in the medical and scientific life of the city; from then on, its services in the neurological area became recognized all over Brazil and even abroad.In 1996, its statutes were reformulated so that the institution would be adapted to the Unified Health System (SUS), entering the category of philanthropic hospital and being able to act with greater resourcefulness.[6] At the end of the 1990s, an administrative and financial crisis began to get out of control, with the usual gap between expenses and revenues experienced by the health area in Brazil, leading to a situation that would bring the traditional institution to the brink of collapse.Its condition was fragile, with a debt of about 18 million reais, besides having suffered for a long time with the lack of transference of the state funds to which it was entitled, due to the low amount reimbursed by the health insurances.The Charitable Association was accused of producing more debt, not fulfilling the terms of the contract, and leaving the surgical block, the ICU rooms, the pharmacy, and the kitchen in no state to function.[17] Faced with the prospect of losing more than 200 beds to the city's health system, which is in crisis, the Medical Union of Rio Grande do Sul has launched a campaign to save the institution.[18] The society is a philanthropic, non-profit institution that is organized through a general assembly, which is supreme, a deliberative council, a audit committee, and a board of directors, in addition to a body of associates that numbers around three thousand contributors.An agreement was then concluded between the museum, Unisinos and the Historical Archives of Rio Grande do Sul to recover this valuable material, carrying out sanitization, transcription of documents, organization of the collection, and creation of a catalog.
EnglishphilanthropicPorto AlegreRio Grande do SulIndependência AvenueIndependência neighborhoodBrazil's independenceSantas CasasFarroupilha RevolutionQueen of PortugalD. Maria IIEmperor of BrazilD. Pedro IISanta Casa de Misericórdia HospitalFernando IIcholeraSaint Petereclectic styleneoclassicalroyal stoneCorinthianwrought ironediculepedimentcoat of armsKingdom of PortugalEmpire of Brazilletters of emancipationJoão BeckerSisters of Divine ProvidenceRadiologyDiathermyGravataíhectaresNeurologyNeurosurgeryClínicasUnified Health SystemTraumatologyOrthopedicsPacemakerInstituto Nacional do Seguro Socialhealth insurancesaudit committeeCardiologyColorectal surgeryGastroenterologyGeneral practiceinternal medicineGeneral surgeryGynecologyHemotherapyNephrologyNeuroradiologyOncologyOtorhinolaryngologyPlastic surgeryPhysiatryPhysical therapyPsychologyPulmonologySpeech therapyUrologyVascular surgeryBone densitometrytomographyendoscopyangiographyDoppler ultrasoundElectrocardiographyElectroencephalographyMammographynuclear medicinecytopathologyUltrasoundmicroscopesUnisinosHistory of Porto AlegreBeneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo