In the year 1921 a new project was started in Costa Rica by the Latin American Mission. Several missionaries of various nationalities came to this country with the goal of helping those in greatest need.  Mr. Henry Strachan, of Scottish nationality, and his Irish wife Susan Strachan joined this noble cause after having served as evangelical missionaries in Argentina for 17 years.

Upon their arrival to Costa Rica, the Strachans were particularly moved by the deplorable state of the local healthcare system. Their primary concern was for the pediatric population, after discovering that out of every one thousand infants born in one year, three hundred and fifty of these would die, and that 50% of children would die before reaching five years of age.  Malnutrition and abandonment were the chief childhood concerns during this time period.  Also, at the time there was only one hospital in the country,  Hospital San Juan de Dios, which in its limited capacity could care for only a portion of the  country's ailing population. In terms of general health, the average life expectancy was around 40 years, and common diseases included tuberculosis and malaria.

Mr. Enrique Strachanand his wife Susan Strachan founders

Upon viewing this bleak panorama, the Strachans resolved to bring relief to those in greatest need, focusing on the poor with a special emphasis on children. Consequently, they dedicated themselves to providing free medical services to this population and founded Hospital Clinica Biblica under the Latin American Mission. The original idea consisted in starting a pediatric center, but as time passed the need became apparent for maternity and surgical services.  And so, the Strachans took on this challenge and were able to acheive the construction of a maternity ward, a surgical facility, and a nursing school. 

By 1968 there had been important advances in national healthcare and parameters.  The infant mortality rate had been reduced considerably.  Nurses were receiving excellent training at a professional level and there were now high-quality, specialized programs for maternal healthcare and post-surgical treatment.  In addition, there now existed a network of good hospitals under the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Costa Rican Social Security), such as Hospital Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia and Hospital México.

In this new, encouraging context, the Latin American Mission considered its work complete, and felt that they should move on to help others in need in the same way they were able to help the Costa Rican people. On the other hand, the Mission no longer had the financial resources to continue its altruistic work.  This meant the closing down of Hospital Clinica Biblica, which up until this point had been maintained through outside help. The Hospital had spacious facilities, excellent medical personnel, and first-class technology in equipment; however, without financial help, it could not continue to function.

Given this difficult situation, a group of local evangelical businessmen, headed up by engineer Enrique Cabezas, decided to ask the missionaries to allow them to form an association that would continue to manage the Hospital.  Missionary David Howard, in the name of the Latin American Mission, accepted this proposal, and the Asociación de Servicios Médicos Costarricense (ASEMECO) was formed on July 14, 1968.

The associates of ASEMECO decided to continue with the original purpose of Clinica Biblica and ratified their intent to provide care to those in greatest need.  Because of the need to be financially self-sufficient, they made the decision to sell services to those who can pay and use those profits to continue to care for those lacking in resources.

Currently, the Social Action programs are at the core of  the ASEMECO charter.  One third of all profits of Hospital Clinica Biblica are designated for Social Action programs.