The Garrison hospital at Jambi used to be a 3rd class infirmary that was mentioned in the publication of D. Schoute “De Geneeskunde in Nederlandsch-Indie in de 19e eeuw”, GTNI 75 (1935) 10, 826. The article referred to a survey of  all the military facilities in 1867 . In that year the infirmary at Jambi had on average 8 inpatients. The infirmary was part of the Military Medical Service (MGD) which in that same year all over the archipelago treated an average of 4,244 inpatients.

Some 25 year later, the Annex D of the Koloniaal Verslag 1890 reports a total  of 3,359 inpatients for the whole of the Netherlands Indies. The average occupation rate of the Jambi dispensary is then 40 Europeans and 97 indigenous patients, whereas 143 patients have been admitted that year. However the situation on 31 December 1890 shows a strong decrease of patients: only 2 Europeans and 3 indigenous patients remain.

The Koloniaal Verslag 1899 reports about the Jambi infirmary 118 admittances and a presence of 18 patients on 31 December 1898.

The Koloniaal Verslag 1928 reports about a military hospital at Djambi that was obtained from the Department of Public Works and that received electricity in the reported year (p. 38).

The directing Health Officer 2nd class, W. van der Veer reports about the MGD in the period 1911-1934 and mentions the transformation of a number of military hospitals into ziekenzalen (Infirmaries), among others this happens to the garrison hospital at Jambi in 1932. See: Geneeskundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch-Indie (GTNI) 76 (1936), 202-234. Anywhere in between 1890 and 1932 the reverse conversion must have taken place: that of an infirmary that becomes a military hospital.

Djambi was in the 1930s a Residency and had about 245,000 inhabitants, of whom 500  Europeans and 9,000 Chinese.The capital Djambi and the port town Moearakompeh are situated on the river Batang Hari or Djambi river. Djambi was a Sultanate. In 1615 the VOC opened an office, but lacked influence in the neighbouring region. From 1906 Djambi got direct rule, but witnessed many uprisings and murder of administrative officers. From about 1916 the area got pacified (Gonggryp 1934, 271).