Hospital San Juan de Dios in Bogotá housed the National Institute of Immunology (Instituto Nacional de Inmunología) where important research on vaccines, notably the first synthetic vaccine against malaria, was conducted,[1] The Instituto Meterno-infantil, Hospital La Hortúa (Psychiatric Wing) and the Santa Clara Clinic currently.

Celebrated Colombian scientist Dr. Manuel Elkin Patarroyo's laboratory, the Instituto Colombiano de Immunología was located in the republican style buildings.

Patarroyo's laboratory is one of the leading institutes in the world renowned for their work on the development of the first synthetic vaccine for malaria.

It was owned and managed by a foundation, and after the national restructuring of Colombian health system into a private captive health insurance system, (known as Ley 100 de 1993) the hospital became financially insolvent mainly because it stopped receiving direct state support for uninsured emergencies and procedures for the poorest residents of the city.

Most of the delay has been due to legal issues surrounding the will of the donor of the land and the legal suits between the city of Bogotá, and the Cundinamarca Department to determine ownership and the negotiations to avoid the eviction of squatters who occupied the building after its closure in addition to unsolved pensions owed to former employees.