Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, a non-profit community hospital owned by the Orthodox Church of Beirut, is one of three major hospitals in Lebanon offering modern comprehensive health care services. The hospital was founded in 1878 by seven community leaders who established a philanthropic society to care for the poor and indigent. Mr. Panayot Fakhoury donated two rooms in his house to be used as a clinic and in-patient facility. In 1880, 416 patients were treated and 18 were hospitalized. Due to an increased patient load, a six-room hospital was constructed in 1883. The medical staff consisted of six doctors, three of whom were American citizens, headed by Dr. Cornelius Van Dyke, who earlier had founded the American University of Beirut School of Medicine.
In 1908, a new 90-bed hospital was funded by the Orthodox Church and the philanthropic society. In 1968, a 275-bed hospital was completed and operated until June 2005 when it was replaced by a new fully operational hospital wing. The new state-of-the-art facility houses a Level I Trauma Care Center, a Children’s Hospital, patient rooms, outpatient clinics, day surgery, an emergency department, and surgical suites. The old wing will be renovated in a second phase. Currently, the Hospital has over 250 physicians predominantly trained in the U.S. and Canada, and treats over 12,000 in-patients and 107,000 out-patients per year, over 15 percent of whom are treated for free without discrimination on the basis of religion or political background. Throughout its long history, Saint George Hospital has been committed to providing affordable and free quality medical care to the needy. Currently, government welfare programs and hospital contributions benefit over 60% of in-patients.
