The  beriberi hospital that was founded in 1890 at Oeloe Limau Manis near Padang was designated to take care of the sick convicts from Atjeh.

In the 1890s many people who had worked or fought in the Atjeh region, were affected by beriberi. The coolies on the plantations of the East Coast of Sumatra also suffered from this disease for which there seemed to be no cure. Yet, astonishing effects were observed when the afflicted people were evacuated to other places, sometimes on the same island, sometimes elsewhere.

The hospital at Oeloe Limau Manis near Padang (West Coast of Sumatra) reported satisfying results due to change of air and surroundings. More important were the results of scientific research that revealed the true cause of the beriberi disease: a severe shortage of vitamins. The discovery of Eijkman and Grijns led to an adaptation of the menu and food distribution of prisons and coolie camps and thus beriberi gradually lost its threatening qualities.

In the 1920s this category of hospitals became superfluous and were closed or transformed into an other type of hospitals.