In Costa Rica, in the year of 1921, a project of the Latino-American Mission started. Several missioners arrived to this country from different nations with the purpose of helping the most in need. Mr. Enrique Strachan, of Scottish nationality, and his wife Susan Strachan, from Ireland, joined this noble cause after serving 17 years as Evangelic missioners in Argentina.

When they arrived in Costa Rica, they were specially touched, and very worried, by the deplorable state of the local health system. Their main preoccupation was children’s health, since they found that, from each thousand children born each year, three hundred and fifty would die, 50% before they reached five years of age. Malnutrition and abandonment constituted the main problems during infancy in this period; in addition, the only hospital that existed -and which could only receive part of the patients- was the San Juan de Dios Hospital. With regard to health in general, life expectancy was around forty years. There were diseases like tuberculosis and malaria.

Mr. Enrique Strachanand his wife Susan Strachan founders

Facing this desolating scene, the Strachans decided to help those most in need, the poor and, specially, children. Therefore they dedicated themselves to providing free medical services to these people and founded the Clínica Bíblica (Biblical Clinic) Hospital, which was under the administration of the Latin American Mission. The original idea was to create a pediatric center, but in time the need for a maternity ward and surgical clinic became evident. Thus, Strachans took this as a challenge and were able to build a Maternity Ward, surgical sections and a Nursing School.

By 1968 the country had made important advances in the area of national health. Infant mortality had dropped considerably. The nurses were been prepared with high professional excellence and there were special, high quality programs to provide maternity care and post-surgical treatment. There was also a network of good hospitals associated to the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social, like the Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia Hospital and the Mexico Hospital.

In this new and quite flattering context, the Latin American Mission considered its job was already done and that it should leave to help others that were in need like Costa Ricans were before. On the other hand, the Mission did not have the financial resources to continue its altruistic work. This meant closing the Clínica Bíblica Hospital which, up to that moment, had been supported by external help. The hospital had large installations, good medical personnel and excellent technical equipment. Nevertheless, without economic help, it could not continue working.

Considering the difficult situation, a group of entrepreneurs from the Evangelic sector, represented by Eng. Enrique Cabezas, decided to ask the missioners to allow them to constitute an association to continue administrating the Hospital. Missioner David Howard, in the name of the Latin American Mission, accepts the proposal. On July 14, 1929, the Asociación de Servicios Médicos Costarricense (ASEMECO) is constituted.

The associates of ASEMECO decide to continue the original purpose of the Clínica Bíblica and ratify its intention to provide assistance to the most in need. But since it has to be self-financed, ASEMECO had to “sell” its services to those who could pay them and, with these profits, continue servicing low-income people.  

Currently, the Social Action Plans of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital are at the core of the ASEMECO charter. One-third of the total profits of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital are destined to Social Action.