Wasino Wasino, Endah Sri Hartatik, Fitri Amalia Shintasiwi, Nugroho Bayu Wijanarko, Linda Oktora Putri
Medan, formerly known as Deli City, developed in connection with the expansion of Deli tobacco companies in East Sumatra. Historic buildings scattered throughout the city reflect the colonial legacy of the plantation economy, with hospitals among the most prominent structures. The aimed of study analyzes the historical development of health services by examining the relationship between urban expansion, plantation growth, disease outbreaks, and medical infrastructure in Medan and surrounding regions. The methods used a historical methodology, using primary and secondary sources analyzed through thematic and chronological frameworks. The results showed that colonial buildings preserved the experiences of ethnically diverse plantation laborers who inhabited urban and peripheral areas. Basic medical services introduced by plantation authorities remained limited until the late nineteenth century. Improvements emerged in the early twentieth century through cooperation between plantation companies and the Dutch East Indies colonial government, improving healthcare in both urban and plantation zones. The study concludes that disease transmission in Medan was strongly influenced by segregated settlement patterns and labor hierarchies. The research contributes to the historiography of colonial health by highlighting the role of structural inequality in shaping medical policy and service distribution. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Politics, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia; Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia
