| Region: | Curitiba |
| State: | Paraná |
| Country: | Brazil |
| Type: | Cancer Hospital |
| Beds: | 153 |
| Website: | http://erastogaertner.com.br |
The Erasto Gaertner Hospital is a health institution in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Paraná. It specializes in the clinical and surgical treatment of patients with oncological diseases.[1]
The Erasto Gaertner Hospital was created on the initiative of Dr. Erasto Gaertner, who, on 2 January 1952, donated a land of 62500m2 to the Paraná League for Combat of Cancer (Liga Paranaense de Combate ao Cancer - LPCC) for the construction of what today is the Erasto Gaertner Hospital. On 11 June 1955, the hospital's cornerstone was placed.[2]
Before being officially inaugurated, patients with cancer were treated since 1970 when Paulo Pimentel, governor of Paraná State, donated a cobalt pump, that allowed 47 sessions of radiotherapy per day. The local community and volunteers gathered resources to finalize and effectively inaugurate the Erasto Gaertner Hospital on 8 December 1972.
In the beginning, the Erasto Gaertner offered basic clinical and surgical care, attending few patients in an operating room, with a radiotherapy device and the cobalt pump.
Nowadays, the hospital is considered the largest cancer treatment center in South Brazil.[3]