Intro Text
The General Hospital is one of the oldest buildings of the colonial period and an essential building for Yangon’s urban landscape and socio-historical development. Over the years, the main building was complemented by the additional wings and tracts over a few years afterwards. Upon completion, the new hospital was cutting-edge, with its electric- city- powered operating theatres and anaesthetics rooms. The floors were made of reinforced concrete, a first for Yangon. The main building is more than 200 meters long and has three stories. Its red bricks and yellow plaster create a unique appearance, visible through the trees from Bogyoke Road.
The colonial-era hospital was on the front line in the fight against a range of infectious diseases; cholera, typhoid, and malaria were rampant.
In 1988, the hospital took a tragic role in the Uprisings. The doctors and nurses did their best to care for hundreds of injured protestors, many of whom arrived at the hospital with gunshots wounds. The bloodshed was severe, and there was not enough blood for transfusions; Scores died in the corridors. In response, medical staff took to the street just outside the hospital, carrying a banner calling for an end to the violence. Soldiers came to the hospital in three trucks and began shooting indiscriminately. Until today, the hospital remains an important place for wound protestors.