The name 37 was because it was the 37th military hospital to be built in the British colony of West Africa.

The hospital was originally established in 1941 by a British military officer, General George Giffard, as a military hospital to provide treatment for troops injured in the Second World War.

At the same time, Giffard also arranged the creation of the 52 Military Hospital at Takoradi, although this was later relocated to India.

[2] In 2011, during a national strike by doctors in public hospitals, the Ministry of Health donated GH ¢230,000 of medical supplies to the hospital to enable it to continue treating an increased number of patients.

[2] The hospital was established on July 4, 1941, as the 37th facility by the allied forces in the then Gold Coast.