Dutch legislation concerning infectious diseases dated from 1872 and 1884, when was issued the Wet op de besmettelijke ziekten (Law on contagious diseases). This law distinguished seven types of contagious diseases. In the Netherlands Indies, the NI Ordinance of February 1892 summed up a limited number of contagious diseases and emphasized the dangers of importing these diseases from overseas. Both these legal statutes regulated the medical supervision , publication, isolation, nursing and transport of patients. These regulations also stipulated the way deceased persons should be buried and how to dispose of contaminated objects. The care for disinfection included expropriation, destruction and compensation.
Before 1890, a few hospitals, sometimes temporary facilities, were built near large harbors to cope with sudden epidemics, imported from abroad. Often they were extensions or annexes to existing general hospitals, but in some cases there was created a separate hospital.
After 1890, hospitals for infectious diseases were established in three Harbour cities. One was at Tandjong Priok (Batavia).

The facility at Grogol (a later war camp of the Japanese) was established at the place of the former Stadsverband after the removal of this hospital to the new location at Salemba. This took place in 1919. The Staatsblad no. 268 of 16 April 1920 (Decision Governor-General no. 20 of 31st March 1920) arranges for the staff and its renumeration: Personeel en fondsen ten behoeve van het hospitaal voor besmettelijke ziekten te Grogol (Staff and funds in favor of the hospital of infectious diseases): To appoint:

1. One administrator with a monthly pay of ƒ 150 (4 adjustments of this pay every three year);
2. One machine worker on ƒ 100 per month (4 adjustments per 3 years)
3. Two stokers on f 20 per month each(4 adjustments per 2 years)
4. Free lodging for the mentioned functions;
5. An amount of f 150 per month is available for orderlies and caretakers who also have free lodging.

The Government Decision no. 31 of 23 April 1923 (Indisch Staatsblad no. 196) changed this destination into psychiatric passage House.