Achievements and accomplishments were remarkable in 2024

We celebrate important milestones in healthcare, teaching and research, and we strengthen ourselves to expand our impact and perpetuate our mission

In 2024, Gabriel celebrated his first birthday. Rony celebrated his 43rd birthday. They don’t know each other, but their stories have something in common: An organ transplant performed at the Pequeno Príncipe, which gave them both a new chance at life.

Thirty-five years separate the two stories. The kidney transplant performed on Rony in 1989 was the first solid organ transplant in the history of the Pequeno Príncipe and paved the way for the advancement of techniques, procedures and care that became increasingly complex. So complex that the teams were able to perform a heart transplant on Gabriel in 2024, when he was only 3 months old and weighed four kilos.

In addition to the 35th anniversary of the first solid organ transplant, in 2024 Pequeno Príncipe celebrated several other milestones in its century-long history of care: 20 years of the first heart transplant, 20 years of the Rare Diseases Outpatient Clinic, 25 years of the Vaccine Center and the 500th bone marrow transplant. We also consolidated our telehealth program, which today contributes to the qualification of primary care services in some cities in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, and is a reference for second opinions in highly complex cases.

Pequeno Príncipe’s ability to care for patients with very complex conditions in a humane manner and with excellent results makes the institution a unique place. There are many innovative initiatives in these 105 years of history. In 2024, the institution maintained 48 health assistance, teaching and research services, a center for rare diseases and a rehabilitation and coliving center – all focused on children and adolescents – which served more than 100,000 children and trained about 150 health professionals.

This large structure has led the institution to win, for the fourth consecutive year, recognition as the best hospital in Latin America working in pediatrics, in the ranking of the American magazine Newsweek.

Health in the present and in the future

In order to increase the number of services provided, Pequeno Príncipe took two important steps in 2024. The first of these was the opening of a new ICU, still in the first quarter, with eight beds, which is dedicated to cardiology patients.

The second step was the start of construction of Pequeno Príncipe North, an expansion project for the institution that brings together in a single space a day hospital, a high-complexity hospital, an outpatient building, the headquarters of the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute and the Pequeno Príncipe College, a cultural center and a botanical garden. The first year of work brought important advances: Earthworks, macro-drainage, cisterns, demolitions and the power plant are in the final stages. The main guardhouse, which organizes the flow of vehicles and pedestrians, is also completed.

Other highlights of the year included the renovation of the Oncology, Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation Outpatient Clinic, which had been destroyed in a fire the previous year, and the construction of a ramp connecting all floors of the Hospital, creating a safe evacuation route in cases of emergency.

The Therapeutic Garden was also built at the Rehabilitation and Coliving Center of Pequeno Príncipe: A space carefully designed to promote the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of children, adolescents, family members and hospital staff. Integrating elements of nature and design, the garden offers a welcoming environment that contributes to the recovery of patients and provides moments of tranquility and comfort amid the challenges of medical treatment.

Teaching and research

We have made progress in teaching and research, with initiatives such as the II International Meeting of Specialties in Pediatrics, managed clinical research and pioneering studies published in 2024.

We celebrated the 18th anniversary of the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute, which continues to be a reference in translational science, helping to transform discoveries into real benefits for our patients. The Institute’s scientists published around 300 articles in the four-year period under evaluation by Brazilian Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (known as Capes), which covers the years from 2021 to 2024. In the same period, more than 60 master and doctoral scholars graduated.

Another major highlight of the year at the Research Institute was the approval of several projects in funding calls, in addition to obtaining direct financial support for some studies. Together, these achievements represent funding of approximately US$ 4.2 million. Some projects are already underway, and others will have their funds released in 2025.

At Pequeno Príncipe College, we celebrated 21 years with the highest score achieved in the re-accreditation evaluation carried out by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC, abbreviation in Portuguese) and the National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anísio Teixeira (known as INEP). The undergraduate course in Medicine completed ten years and also obtained the highest score in the MEC evaluation.

Sustainability

Another important achievement of the year, as we consider the perpetuity of Pequeno Príncipe’s mission, was the launch of the institution’s endowment fund, Futurin – Funds for Life, which will raise funds in society for future investment in assistance, teaching and research, and actions aimed at sustainability and One Health.

Additionally, we tirelessly seek to raise awareness among authorities linked to the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS, in Portuguese) on two important points: The need to review the procedures described in the SUS fee table, with the incorporation of new practices, orthoses, prostheses and medications, given that medicine has evolved and it is necessary to incorporate all existing innovations in medicine into the treatments also offered by the SUS, especially with a focus on pediatrics; and the need to adjust the values established in the SUS fee table.

Mobilization of society

Throughout 2024, we took many initiatives to mobilize society in favor of the cause of children’s health. The highlight was the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Legends Game, which brought together around 28,000 people at the Ligga Arena, in Curitiba (Paraná state), to watch a charity match between Barça Legends and the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Legends Team. In addition to raising funds for the institution’s research activities, the event aimed to pay tribute to king Pelé, who lent his name to our research unit. We mobilized the government and established King Pelé Day – celebrated on November 19, the date of his thousandth goal. And we honored his legacy by taking to the field an all-star team of players, accompanied by children undergoing treatment and dedicated professionals who help write stories of overcoming challenges every day.

Humanization

“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul be just another human soul.” Carl Jung’s quote – which, in a very poetic way, addresses the importance of empathy in human relationships – can be used to describe the Pequeno Príncipe’s “way of being and doing”, a way that recognizes, welcomes and respects the history and needs of each patient and their family. A way that understands children and adolescents as subjects of rights and that works daily to ensure these rights.

This is what allows incredible stories to happen in the rooms, hallways, playroom, library and other spaces of the Hospital. Little Sylvia, for example, got the entire Bone Marrow Transplantation Service team to dance and celebrate with her the success of her transplant. Laura learned to read while she was hospitalized. And Amanda became an art educator after discovering art during her time at the Hospital, years ago. “While the doctors healed my body, art healed my soul,” she revealed.