Title picture: Ziekenhuis bij het boorterrein Rantau van de Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij te Tamiang bij Pangkalanbrandan; Image-code KITLV 151870. Date ca. 1930. Collection Prof.dr. J.M. van Winter at Utrecht

The Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) had its own central hospital at Rantau Pandjang on the Eastcoast of Sumatra (J. Kreemer, Atjeh I). It was a general hospital, established in 1918 in the hospital ressort Tandjong Poera.  In this same hospital ressort  two other BPM hospitals are found, one at Pangkalan Brandan and one at Perlak. The hospital at Pangkalan Brandan, a residency 70 km NW of Medan was mentioned by E. van de Velde in his article in the review Het Ziekenhuis (1918) as number 2 of the legend, accompanying his article. B.M. van Driel mentions the hospital in his publication on the mortality of indentured labourers on the Eastcoast of Sumatra (Mededeelingen van het Pathologisch Laboratorium te Medan nr. 9, 1930). In this publication the hospital is situated in the medical resort Tandjoeng Poera. Of 3,856 indentured labourers 38 died in 1929 (9.85 ‰). In 2005 this hospital still existed with a capacity of 38 beds.

Pangkalanbrandan and nearby Pangkalansoesoe on Aroe Bay were the BPM’s main centres for processing , storage and shipment of crude oil extracted from the Serangdjaja, Poelaupandjang  (Grote Atlas van NOI, p.92).  The town was situated on the railway Medan-Rantauprapat. It was situated in the selfgoverning Landschap of Langkat with main town Tanddjoengpoera. (Gonggryp 1934, 724)