Raymond and Aida Najjar Medical Center

History of the hospital

In 1948, Abouna Yaacoub established in the region of Dora a small home for the destitute, the marginalized, the abandoned and the elderly. In 1952, he discovered the necessity to ensure medical care for them and for the inhabitants of the neighborhood. So, he called some young doctors to help him and transformed the home into a small hospital that started expanding day after day, thanks to the efforts of the nuns who have endeavored to serve, through the construction of new pavilions until its complete execution. From the beginning, the hospital has been characterized by the Christian charity. And day by day, it prospered to become, thanks to the dedication of the Sisters, the performance of its doctors and the fidelity of its administrative and nursing staff, among the major health institutions in Lebanon. In spite of the destructive effects of the war (1975-1991), the hospital continued to function and resisted for the sake of man, pursuing its mission in the midst of material and human wounds, rendering considerable services during all these years, until today and tomorrow.

The new hospital

The divine Providence intervened again in the projects of the Man of Providence, Abouna Yaacoub, sending to the hospital Mr. Raymond Najjar with his wife Aida (May their souls rest in peace) to build the highly technical and well-equipped Raymond and Aida Najjar Medical Center. 

The hospital’s future vision is to pursue diligently its mission, in order to maintain a good reputation as a first-class health center, according to the recognition of the Lebanese State, and to the quality of medical care. Therefore, the foundation of this vision revolves around the implementation of the long-term strategic plan, the annual operational plan, and the testing of the good execution, through determining specific indicators and scientific measures to each service (KPI/DEPARTMENT), and their compliance with the objectives set to achieve the guarantee of patient safety.

The old hospital was destroyed to be replaced by a triangle composed of: 

• The Raymond and Aïda Najjar Medical Center Block A: it’s composed of four floors.
• Medical Department Block B: The 200-bed hospital is composed of eight floors with six floors built by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross and the first floor, that includes gynecology and obstetrics, was financed by Mr. Raymond Najjar in memory of his late parents Iskandar and Minerva Najjar. The building and equipment in the second floor, which comprises the cardiology and cardio surgery section, were financed, by Mrs. Aida Naffah Najjar, in memory of her late parents Gergi and Melvina Naffah. A spacious parking lot exists now in place of the old hospital.
• Aida Naffah Najjar Speech Therapy Center, Community, Logistics Services: Block C

Consequently, the hospital is completed, similar to the most important international medical centers, at all levels: technical, functional and medical, as well as in terms of training and spiritual activities specific for patients and caregivers.

It was inaugurated on June, 27, 2003, with the sponsorship and the presence of His Eminence the Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. It receives medical and nursing trainees from Saint Joseph University and other universities. Note that one year ago, on October, 22, 2002, the hospital signed a partnership convention with Saint Joseph Hospital in Paris in order to exchange expertise and develop medical and technical continuous training. 

The hospital is bound to apply the Lebanese Law and medical deontology along with its staff, by virtue of the Vatican Charter for the health pastorate. It meets all international standards and norms of the accreditation program of the health institutions decided by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, who has classified the hospital as a “T1 category hospital”. The number of beds is one hundred and eighty-seven, including twelve beds reserved for intensive care, in addition to one hundred patients welcomed in the dialysis department.
For more information: www.hopital-stjoseph.com