Long known for its curative thermal springs, the region of Turiec (German: Turz) has a history as a destination for people with various illnesses.

In 1532 Johannes Barbierus of Mosovce became the first permanent doctor to settle here, and later in 1680 the Jesuits set up a monastic pharmacy at the site.

In 1892 a cholera epidemic struck the region, this along with recurrent outbreaks of tuberculosis made sure that new wards for patients with infectious diseases were required to be built.

As the war progressed and the number of patients increased, the hospital undertook rapid expansion to accommodate them.

However, as beds were still insufficient, the authorities resorted to buying adjacent private residences to alleviate the shortage.

[2] By the 1960s it had become a teaching hospital serving medical students from the Jessenius School of Medicine, also located in Martin, and new departments were added continuously.

[1] In September 2012 the Clinic of Ophthalmology performed Slovakia's first intra-ocular lens implantation, curing two patients with cataracts.