The „Matei Balș” Institute: from the isolation barracks of 1880 to the national institute of infectious diseases
Institutul Național de Boli Infecțioase „Prof. Dr. Matei Balș” (the National Institute of Infectious Diseases), at Strada Dr. Calistrat Grozovici no. 1, began in 1880 from isolation barracks built within the Colentina Hospital. It bears the name of the physician who took over the adult department in 1941.
Institutul Național de Boli Infecțioase „Prof. Dr. Matei Balș” (the National Institute of Infectious Diseases) is at Strada Doctor Calistrat Grozovici no. 1, in Sector 2, Bucharest.
The beginnings, in 1880
According to histories published in the press, the first isolation barracks for contagious patients appeared within the Colentina Hospital in 1880. In 1894 the first two masonry pavilions, with 40 beds, began to be built. Pavilion III, built around 1921, with 25 beds, is described in these histories as the oldest contagious diseases hospital in the country.
The physicians who gave it its name
The department was headed from 1900 to 1919 by Dr. Calistrat Grozovici. Together with Dr. Pastia, he described the “Pastia sign,” a sign of scarlet fever that remains in the medical literature. In 1938 the Clinic of Contagious Diseases was established, by separating from the internal medicine clinics. In 1941, Professor Matei Balș took over the department of contagious diseases for adults.
The institute today
The institute was established in 1999, and in July 2007 it became a National Institute, according to TVR Info. On its official website, consulted in October 2026, the institute presents itself with 690 beds. Its structure includes six clinical departments for adults and four for children, intensive care units for adults and children, a specialized emergency reception center and the Romanian HIV/AIDS Center. The laboratories are for biochemistry, molecular genetics, hematology, immunology, microbiology, virology-serology and radiology-imaging.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Matei Balș Institute?
At Strada Doctor Calistrat Grozovici no. 1, Sector 2, Bucharest, according to the official website.
Who was Matei Balș?
A professor of medicine who took over the adult contagious diseases department at Colentina in 1941. The histories consulted name him among the founders of the modern Romanian school of clinical bacteriology.
Is the institute the same thing as the Colentina Hospital?
No. They are two distinct units, with different addresses, but the institute originated in a department of the Colentina Hospital.
Strada Doctor Calistrat Grozovici 1, sector 2, București
